分类： entertainment

Nearly a millennium after it was last on British shores, one of Europe’s most iconic medieval artworks, the Bayeux Tapestry, has completed its historic journey to London’s British Museum, brought in under a cloak of secrecy and cutting-edge security measures that read like a scene pulled from a reverse heist film.

The 70-meter-long embroidered chronicle of the 1066 Norman Conquest — the last successful military invasion of England — arrives on a multi-year loan from its permanent home in the French town of Bayeux, where renovations are currently underway at its dedicated museum. It will open to the public starting September 10 and remain on display through July 2027, marking the first time the tapestry has been displayed on English soil in nearly 1,000 years.

Anticipation for the tapestry’s arrival has run high among British history and art enthusiasts, but every detail of its transport schedule and logistics was locked down over intense security concerns. British Museum Director Nicholas Cullinan called the moment “extraordinary” as the artifact neared its new temporary home, noting “It’s incredibly exciting that after so much work and planning, a piece of both British and French history so significant is finally on these shores.”

The complex transport operation was designed to protect the fragile 1,000-year-old artwork every step of the way. The tapestry was carefully folded into an accordion shape inside a temperature- and humidity-controlled case, which was then secured in a custom-built shock-absorbing cradle. The entire container — roughly the size of a small passenger car — was loaded onto a truck that crossed the English Channel via the Channel Tunnel’s vehicle shuttle service. After an 11-hour, 560-kilometer journey escorted by armed police, the truck backed slowly into the British Museum’s loading bay in the dead of night, where workers gently lowered the container to the ground. When the cargo was confirmed safe, the assembled team of museum staff and British and French diplomats, who had waited in hushed silence, broke into spontaneous applause.

Before going on display, the tapestry will spend several days acclimatizing to its new environment, after which it will be carefully unpacked and stretched for exhibition. Museum officials already project the show will be one of the most popular in the institution’s centuries-long history: more than 100,000 advance tickets sold out on the first day they went on sale earlier this month. Cullinan compared the demand to securing tickets to the Glastonbury Music Festival, adding “I don’t take for granted that people care that much about a 1,000-year-old embroidery. I think that’s an amazing thing.”

Woven from wool thread on plain linen, the Bayeux Tapestry depicts the full sequence of events leading up to the Battle of Hastings in October 1066, where William, Duke of Normandy defeated the Anglo-Saxon army of King Harold II to claim the English throne. Historians widely believe the work was commissioned shortly after the conquest by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William’s half-brother, and was most likely stitched by English artisans — possibly nuns — before being moved across the Channel to Normandy. It has resided in the northern French town of Bayeux for almost all of the past 1,000 years, only leaving for two brief displays at the Louvre in Paris.

As a cultural artifact, the tapestry stands as a symbol of the intertwined, often complex shared history of Britain and France. Securing the multi-year loan required years of high-level diplomatic negotiation, and the agreement was formally announced during French President Emmanuel Macron’s 2025 state visit to the United Kingdom. In exchange for the tapestry’s stay in London, the British Museum will loan treasures from the iconic Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon ship burial hoard and other British cultural artifacts to museums across Normandy.

Retired British diplomat Peter Ricketts, who served as the UK’s special envoy for the tapestry and helped finalize the loan agreement, called the arrangement “an extraordinary mark of friendship and confidence in the U.K. to entrust this object to us for two years. Macron understood when he offered the loan that it would have far greater resonance in the UK than in France, because 1066 is such a fundamental turning point in our national story. Everyone in Britain learns the date of the Norman Conquest.”

Beyond its political and historical significance, the tapestry offers an unparalleled intimate look at 11th-century life. It features 58 distinct narrative scenes packed with 626 human figures and 737 animals, full of vivid, sometimes brutal detail: hand-to-hand combat, fallen mutilated soldiers, and the iconic image of King Harold felled by an arrow through the eye.

Millie Horton-Insch, the lead curator for the British Museum’s Bayeux Tapestry exhibition, explained that the work brings medieval history to life in a way written records never can. “It has an emotional richness that is really difficult to get from written sources. It just brings people closer to this history than any other object can. You are looking at something that was handled by the people who lived through these events and felt compelled to record them in this way.”

Horton-Insch also noted that the tapestry’s 10-century survival against countless threats — including moths, rodents, mold, moisture, and fire — is nothing short of miraculous. Its humble materials may have helped it avoid destruction: “It’s not made of gold or silver, there wasn’t the same temptation to cut it up and repurpose it for vestments or other luxury items.”

The loan has not been without controversy: a number of French cultural figures have publicly opposed moving the artifact, arguing that even the most carefully planned trip poses too great a risk to the fragile embroidery. In response, Cullinan emphasized that expert teams took every possible precaution to protect the tapestry, including conducting two full trial runs of the entire cross-channel journey to confirm the transport would not put undue stress on the 1,000-year-old fabric.

“Such care has gone into it. I can’t think of a higher level of care for any other museum loan in history,” he said, adding that he understands the passion behind the concerns. “The tapestry arouses great interest and passion across both countries. Which is a wonderful thing.”

As record-breaking heatwave temperatures scorched Paris this July, the fashion world’s most exclusive annual event, Fall/Winter 2026-2027 Haute Couture Week, brought together A-list celebrities and legendary fashion houses to showcase hundreds of hours of handcrafted, one-of-a-kind design work. Held twice yearly and strictly regulated by France’s governing fashion body—only invited designers can present collections—the four-day event lived up to its reputation as a display of unrivaled creativity, drawing global headlines and star power from across entertainment and music.

One of the most talked-about showcases of the week came from Schiaparelli, where creative director Daniel Roseberry presented his collection titled *The Call of the Void*. Roseberry described the line as a deliberate departure from familiar creative processes, a full embrace of untested design experimentation. Standout celebrity guests included Bad Bunny, who paused the European leg of his ongoing world tour to make his first-ever haute couture week appearance in a head-turning creamy butter-yellow tailored suit. British actress Emma Corrin also turned heads in a soft pastel feathered jacket fitted with dramatic, sharp talon accents that embodied the collection’s bold, surrealist spirit. Rapper Cardi B was also among the high-profile attendees at opening shows, marking one of the most star-studded couture events in recent years.

Over at Balenciaga, Pierpaolo Piccioli—who recently left his long-time role at Valentino to lead the brand—delivered a highly anticipated debut couture collection that honored the house founder Cristóbal Balenciaga’s iconic silhouettes while adding modern sensibility. Supermodel Gigi Hadid closed out the outdoor runway show in a sweeping black feather cocoon garment that earned immediate viral attention. Unlike the structured, tight-fitting designs that dominated many recent collections, every look in Piccioli’s line featured loose, flowing cuts and a range of rich mixed textures—an especially welcome choice for attendees navigating the city’s sweltering heat. Stars including actor Hudson Williams also turned out to support the debut collection.

At Jean Paul Gaultier, Duran Lantink—appointed as the house’s permanent creative lead in April 2025—presented his first full haute couture collection to a crowd of eager industry insiders. Centered on the themes of transformation, playful theatricality, and reimagined history, the line drew inspiration from French queen Marie Antoinette, reinterpreting her iconic royal aesthetic for 21st-century audiences.

Chanel’s artistic director Matthieu Blazy leaned into soft whimsy and fairytale fantasy for his 2026 couture offering. The runway was transformed into an enchanted garden, lined with climbing vines and giant beanstalks, and one model walked the catwalk holding an original copy of the fairy tale collection once owned by Coco Chanel herself. Intricate hand-embroidered floral motifs and delicate, dreamy accessories made the entire line feel like an escape from everyday reality, evoking the quiet magic of classic storybook narratives.

The biggest surprise of the week came not from the Dior runway itself, but from an off-site reveal: creative director Jonathan Anderson confirmed he was the designer behind the bridal gowns for Taylor Swift’s recent high-profile wedding to NFL star Travis Kelce. While Anderson did include several bridal-inspired looks in his Dior couture collection, the designer has yet to share any details about whether those designs echo Swift’s actual wedding dress, which remains private. The collection itself paid homage to American sculptor Lynda Benglis, featuring innovative accordion-pleated dresses, skirts, and statement accessories that blended fine art with high fashion. Industry icon Anna Wintour, director Baz Luhrmann, and singer Sabrina Carpenter were among the front row guests at the Dior show.

Dutch designer Iris van Herpen, known for blending science and high fashion, presented a collection centered on invisible natural forces that shape daily life. Her most innovative design choice integrated charged plasma gas particles into sealed glass tubes, which were attached to gown silhouettes to create a subtle sparkling, glowing effect that moved with the model as they walked the runway. The collection grew increasingly elaborate throughout the show, culminating in gowns covered in intricate hand-beading and ethereal, flowing draping that blurred the line between fashion, art, and science.

Closing out the week, designer Alexis Mabille centered his collection on the theme of duality, leaning into a core design concept of transformative garments. What appeared to be a single finished look on the runway would shift dramatically in seconds, reorganizing into a completely separate garment with an entirely different texture and color palette. Mabille anchored the collection to a tight, cohesive palette of black, silver, and gold, emphasizing the stark contrast between each transformed look.

Despite the record-breaking heat, the 2026 Fall/Winter Haute Couture Week solidified Paris’s position as the global center of high fashion, blending innovative design work, star power, and decades of house heritage into one unforgettable four-day event.

As much of Europe swelters through the height of summer heatwave season, a uniquely cheerful holiday tradition is unfolding hundreds of kilometers north of the European continent’s warmest regions, in the fourth-largest city of Denmark: Aalborg. For decades, this Nordic country has hosted the annual World Santa Claus Congress, a one-of-a-kind midsummer gathering that has drawn dozens of professional Santa Claus performers, Mrs. Clauses and elf actors from every corner of the globe to celebrate festive spirit far outside the traditional December holiday window.

The iconic event traces its origins back to 1957, when it was first launched at an amusement park on the outskirts of Copenhagen. After decades at its original venue, the congress relocated to Aalborg, located on Denmark’s Jutland peninsula, just two years ago, and has quickly settled into its new home. This year, attendees clad in thick, traditional red Santa suits found the warm Danish July sun made their iconic costumes surprisingly sweltering — a small price to pay for the chance to connect with fellow festive performers. Next year, the beloved gathering will mark its 70th anniversary, a milestone that organizers and attendees are already planning to celebrate in style.

What began as a small initiative to bring extra joy to children has evolved into a must-attend professional and social gathering for Santas who work in department stores, shopping malls, and private events across the world during the busy Christmas season. Held roughly five months before the annual Yuletide rush begins, the four-day event gives professional performers a rare opportunity to exchange industry stories, compare iconic flowing beards, refine their holiday craft, and compete in a series of lighthearted, playful competitions long before families start drafting their naughty-or-nice lists.

This year’s agenda was packed with beloved holiday-themed activities, including gingerbread eating contests, speed gift wrapping challenges, balloon modeling workshops, and multiple boisterous parades through the streets of central Aalborg. Photographs from the event captured participants posing for group photos, waving at onlookers, and snapping selfies with fellow Santas from across the world, showcasing the warm, inclusive energy of the gathering.

Peter Gislund, the event’s organizer and a part-time Aalborg-based Santa during the Christmas season, shared that public reaction to the mid-year holiday gathering is often split. “The grandmas say: ‘Oh, it’s too early to come here’,” he explained. “The kids say: ‘Hooray! Santa’s here already.’”

While the event has drawn attendees from as far afield as Australia, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States over its decades-long history, most of the roughly three dozen Santas and Mrs. Clauses participating this year came from Scandinavian countries. Even so, several international guests made the long trip to attend, including Paradise Yamamoto, a Santa performer traveling all the way from Tokyo. After parading through downtown Aalborg waving a Japanese flag and dancing along to the Christmas classic *Feliz Navidad*, Yamamoto laughed and shared his impression of the event: “This is very fun, so many children … Ho, ho, ho!”

For first-time attendee Robert Hercz, a 64-year-old Santa from Oslo, Norway, the gathering proved that despite different national backgrounds, all professional Santas share a common core. “We all share a gene” for generosity and spreading joy, Hercz explained. “You have it or you don’t. We have the true Santa spirit. And it’s all about giving, sharing, and putting a little bit of joy in people’s hearts.”

Beyond the fun and games, the congress serves an important purpose for working Santas, Gislund noted. “It’s not all ho-ho-ing and belly rubs. When Santas are together, they always mingle and talk a little bit,” he said. Attendees exchange tips for everything from maintaining the perfect beard shine to interacting with shy children, making it a valuable professional development opportunity as well as a social gathering. “That’s the good part of meeting some Santas from all over the world.”

For 33-year-old Danish Santa Simon Brøns, the annual gathering drives home a simple but powerful message: festive spirit is not limited to the month of December. “Christmas is not a season. It’s a feeling you have in your stomach,” he said with a smile. “So if you want, you can have Christmas the whole year.”

Bonnie Tyler, the Grammy-nominated Welsh pop star whose signature gravelly roar turned the 1983 power ballad *Total Eclipse of the Heart* into a generational cultural staple, has died at 75. Her death came unexpectedly at a hospital in Portugal, where she had been receiving treatment for an illness, her family confirmed in a public statement posted to Tyler’s official website Thursday.

Tyler had been admitted to a Faro hospital — near the coastal Portuguese home she maintained — for emergency intestinal surgery in May. After a period in an induced coma, medical updates last month indicated her condition was improving, and a full recovery was widely expected. “Bonnie’s family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for,” the statement read.

Born Gaynor Hopkins in 1948, Tyler grew up the daughter of a coal miner in working-class public housing in Skewen, Wales, just outside Swansea. Raised alongside three sisters and two brothers, she fell in love with music from an early age: her first album was The Beatles’ *A Hard Day’s Night*, and at 13 she purchased her first single, The Swinging Blue Jeans’ *Hippy Hippy Shake*, as documented in her memoir *Straight From the Heart*. A devout viewer of the iconic UK music program *Top of the Pops*, Tyler would record episodes on a vintage reel-to-reel recorder, transcribe lyrics to her favorite tracks from artists including Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, and Tina Turner, and practice singing for hours into a hairbrush. Even in those early years, she noted her distinctively husky vocal tone, though she never imagined it would become her trademark. That signature sound was solidified in 1976, when she underwent surgery to remove vocal nodules, leaving her with the rough, powerful delivery that would make her famous.

After performing under the stage name Sherine Davis as the frontwoman of a local soul band, Tyler was discovered by talent scout Roger Bell, who brought her to London for demo recordings. When RCA Records signed her, the label encouraged her to adopt the stage name Bonnie Tyler. Her 1977 debut album *The World Starts Tonight* spawned her first chart hit, *Lost in France*, and earned her a Brit Awards nomination for Breakthrough Artist. A year later, she scored a No. 3 UK hit with *It’s a Heartache*, but her career would reach unprecedented heights after she signed with Sony. After seeing Meat Loaf perform *Bat Out of Hell* on the BBC, Tyler personally requested to work with Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf’s iconic songwriter and producer.

Steinman offered Tyler the centerpiece of what would become her fifth studio album *Faster Than the Speed of Night*: *Total Eclipse of the Heart*. The track borrowed the iconic line “Turn around, bright eyes” from Steinman’s 1969 student musical *The Dream Engine*, and the producer originally framed it as a cut for a planned stage adaptation of the vampire classic *Nosferatu*. Recalling the recording process in a 2023 interview with *The Guardian*, Tyler said: “Jim liked to put down a basic rhythm track, do nine takes of the song, choose the best one and then put the kitchen sink on there, like Phil Spector used to. He gave me a cassette to listen to in my hotel and we both preferred take two.” Backed by E Street Band members Roy Bittan on piano and Max Weinberg on drums, the track is a soaring, gut-wrenching meditation on lost love, with lyrics that explore the loneliness of a broken heart.

Its accompanying music video became a defining staple of early MTV, filmed at a creepy, gothic former psychiatric asylum in Surrey, where guard dogs reportedly refused to enter the basement rooms that once held electric shock treatment sessions. The over-the-top visuals included slow-motion doves, flickering candles, dancing ninjas, greaser dancers, oversized shoulder pads, fencers, gymnasts, wind machines, and shirtless teen boys in swim goggles being doused with water. The track spent four consecutive weeks atop the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and earned Tyler two Grammy nominations: one for the album in the Best Rock Vocal Performance category, and one for the single for Best Pop Vocal Performance. Though she lost both awards, the track’s cultural legacy only grew across decades. In a 2020 reevaluation, music outlet Stereogum hailed *Total Eclipse of the Heart* as an “extinction-level event rendered in musical form,” adding: “It’s pop music as heart-pounding, chest-thumping, blood-gargling, heavens-falling passion explosion. It’s sheer spectacle. It’s fireworks and lasers and lightning and thunder. It soars and swoops and barrel-rolls.”

The track has never faded from public consciousness: it has been covered by dozens of artists, from Nicki French in 1995 to Westlife in 2006, and has appeared in dozens of films and television shows, including a memorable scene in the 2001 comedy *Bandits*, where Cate Blanchett sings the track before hitting Billy Bob Thornton’s character with a car, and a wedding scene in the 2003 comedy *Old School*. One Direction performed it on the UK’s *The X Factor* during their 2010 audition run. Streaming numbers have spiked repeatedly during real solar and lunar eclipses, pushing the track past 1 billion total streams as of 2024, with major surges during the 2017 and 2024 total solar eclipses.

Though Tyler never matched the commercial peak of *Total Eclipse of the Heart*, she maintained a prolific decades-long career, releasing fan-favorite tracks including 1984’s *Holding Out for a Hero* (featured on the *Footloose* soundtrack) and *Here She Comes* from the *Metropolis* reissue. In 2013, she released the country-influenced album *Rocks and Honey* recorded in Nashville, which included the track *Believe in Me* selected to represent the United Kingdom at that year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden. Recalling the experience in a 2023 interview, she said: “It was an absolutely wonderful atmosphere there. I was being interviewed every 15, 20 minutes, and when I walked out onstage behind the British flag, I thought the roof was going to come off! It was awesome, just awesome!” In 2017, she performed the iconic track alongside DNCE, Joe Jonas’ band, on a special “Total Eclipse Cruise” during the 2017 total solar eclipse, drawing global attention. Her 2019 album *Between the Earth and the Stars* featured duets with legends including Rod Stewart, Cliff Richard, and Status Quo’s Francis Rossi, and she closed the year with a performance at a Vatican Christmas concert for Pope Francis.

In 2022, Tyler was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for her decades of contributions to music. She is survived by her husband Robert Sullivan, a property developer and former Olympic judo competitor.

Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed reporting from London.