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The Queen, 79, wore a white Anna Valentine dress, accessorised with a Dior bag and Chanel shoes

President Emmanuel Macron was captured on video gently placing his hand on Queen Camilla's back as the two couples gathered at the British Museum on Wednesday for the landmark unveiling of the Bayeux Tapestry.

The French president, 48, and his wife Brigitte were in London to mark the historic occasion of the 70-metre-long medieval embroidery being loaned to Britain for the first time in its nearly 1,000-year existence.

As the Queen smiled and waved to onlookers, Mr Macron lightly touched her back before stepping behind her.

King Charles hailed the tapestry's arrival as a "precious symbol of trust" between the United Kingdom and France, with the Royal Family posting on Instagram to thank France for the "historic loan."

The Queen, 79, wore a white Anna Valentine dress, accessorised with a Dior bag and Chanel suede satin pumps. Mrs Macron, 73, chose an all-white midi dress paired with matching heels.

Mr Macron and his wife were seen walking hand in hand as they followed Charles, 77, and Camilla into the museum.

The King and the French President had travelled together to the venue in the State Bentley, with their wives arriving separately in a second car.

On Instagram, the Royal Family expressed gratitude for what it called "the latest magical stitch in a story that has bound our two nations together through history."

The greeting between Mr Macron and the Queen reflected the significance of the tapestry's unprecedented journey across the Channel.

Speaking in both English and French during the ceremony, the King described the tapestry's narrative as "one of ambition and uncertainty, of oaths and journeys, of ships, councils, kings, comets and consequences."

He emphasised that the artwork belonged to neither country alone, noting: "Yet it is not merely an English story, nor only a Norman one.

Indeed, from the moment of its creation, it may have brought together our two peoples: commissioned in Normandy, yet most likely to have been embroidered in Canterbury by English craftspeople."

King Charles also drew a connection to contemporary geopolitics, observing that the tapestry "recounts a conflict, yet here it is today, nearly a thousand years later, as a precious symbol of trust, at a time when trust seems sadly to be in short supply between nations."

He spoke of the two countries' shared defence of their values "in times of peril," adding: "We continue to do so today across the world."

Mr Macron delivered a speech of more than ten minutes, switching between English and French, in which he recalled first raising the prospect of lending the tapestry during a 2018 visit to Sandhurst.

"It has required a little patience, then again, one does not move an artwork nearly a thousand years old lightly," he said, adding: "But since the first British request dates back to 1931, I choose to regard eight years as something of a speed record."

The ancient textile required 18 hours to transport across the Channel under stringent precautions. "It's very well insured," the King joked.

Among those welcoming the party were Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his wife Marie-France van Heel, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, and British Museum chairman George Osborne, who thanked Mr Macron for making the loan possible.

Mr Macron concluded by describing the tapestry as emblematic of an Anglo-French alliance that was "always closer and together."