Subject to tests

The Times agreed the loan will be subject to tests to ensure the 11th century artwork is robust enough to be moved.

The priceless tapestry, which is 70 meters long and 50 centimeters high, depicts the Norman Conquest of England, which saw French forces land close to Hastings on the south coast of England in 1066 before conquering the English army, killing the English king, and setting up a lengthy occupation.

It is on display at a museum in the town of Bayeux, in the Normandy region of Northern France.

Little is known about how, why, or where it was made. The earliest written reference to it comes in a 1476 inventory of items belonging to the Bayeux Cathedral.

Reading Museum to the west of London has a replica of the tapestry and says the original was probably commissioned in the 1070s by the half-brother of William the Conqueror - the Bishop Odo of Bayeux. A rival theory claims it was made by nuns in England, not France.

The battle it depicts probably involved around 17,000 combatants and ended with the deaths of around 6,000 people.