The British Museum has banned visitors from photographing the Bayeux Tapestry after concerns that people stopping for pictures were slowing movement through the heavily attended exhibition.
Photography had initially been permitted, but curators reversed the policy after queues began building and ticket-holders faced delays entering the display.
The medieval embroidery, on an unprecedented loan from France, is being exhibited in Britain for the first time and will remain in London until July 2027.
Visitors enter the sold-out exhibition in groups and follow a one-way route along the approximately 70-metre artwork, with visits expected to last around 40 minutes.
Museum officials found that people pausing to photograph the embroidery were restricting the flow and delaying subsequent groups.
The museum's visitor guidance now states that photography, drawing and sketching are not permitted.
A British Museum spokesperson said there had been "enormous interest" in the exhibition and that the restriction was intended to ensure visitors had the best possible experience.
Tickets are sold out through December 31, with another tranche covering visits until July 11 expected to go on sale on October 21.
The 11th-century embroidery depicts events surrounding the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066, featuring 627 figures and more than 700 animals.
Although commonly called a tapestry, the work is embroidered and is widely thought to have been made in England before eventually being transferred to Bayeux in Normandy.
The loan followed years of planning and diplomacy between Britain and France and was confirmed after a Franco-British summit in 2025.
The British Museum is funding the costs of the move, while insurance is being provided by the UK government.
Transported from Normandy in a climate-controlled crate with a police escort, the artwork is displayed flat in a raised glass cabinet in London rather than hanging vertically as it does in Bayeux.
Animations projected nearby highlight details and key events depicted across the historic work.