[Source: Reuters]

The Bayeux Tapestry has arrived in Britain for the first time in nearly 1,000 years.

Ahead of a sell-out exhibition at the British Museum, travelling under police escort during a meticulously choreographed journey from France.

The 70-metre (230-foot) ​embroidery, which depicts the 1066 Norman conquest of England, was transported in an air-conditioned, ​anti-vibration crate under French police escort to the Eurotunnel before crossing the ⁠Channel.

It was then handed over to British authorities for the final leg of its ​journey to London.

The transfer was made possible by what the French government described as “unprecedented logistical and ​security means”, developed over more than a year by the two governments.

The medieval masterpiece, believed to have been made by English embroiderers, has already generated nearly £2.5 million ($3.3 million) in ticket sales, making it the museum’s best-selling exhibition.

France ​confirmed the loan last July during President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to Britain as a ​guest of King Charles. The transfer of the cultural treasure is seen as a symbol of closer ties ‌between ⁠the countries after the discord caused by Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the European Union.

“This … is a gesture of trust, a tangible expression of a long-standing friendship and a sign of our shared desire to see France and the United Kingdom build their future together,” Macron wrote in ​the Times newspaper.

The tapestry ​itself is the ⁠product of an earlier period of Anglo-French rivalry, embroidered in the years after William the Conqueror, backed by a Norman army, seized the English ​throne.

“Make no mistake — this is an historic moment and a significant ​act of friendship ⁠as we welcome this iconic historical tapestry back to Britain,” British culture minister Lisa Nandy said in a statement released by the museum.

“Watching the Tapestry arrive at the Museum is a moment ⁠I will ​never forget,” British Museum director Nicholas Cullinan said in ​the statement.

The tapestry will undergo condition checks before being installed within a custom-built showcase ahead of the exhibition’s September 10 ​opening.