Overview
- Heritage group Sites and Monuments filed at the Conseil d'État to annul the French state's decision to loan the tapestry to the British Museum.
- The court submission cites a ministry‑commissioned 2022 report that strongly discourages trips longer than three hours and lists road defects as shock sources.
- The British Museum and French authorities have set a maximum permitted vibration level for the journey, and the UK government has provided £800m insurance.
- Vibration specialist Dr Kerstin Kracht says the agreed limit would be safe if met, yet questions whether bumps and potholes would cause unmanageable spikes.
- The tapestry is slated for display in London in September for its first Channel crossing in more than nine centuries, though the legal challenge could delay or stop the transfer.