The Dover Strait — just 33 kilometers wide at its narrowest — has long been one of history’s most watched waterways. Here, Britain and continental Europe sit face to face, divided by a channel that has served as both a bridge and a barrier for empires. Roman fleets crossed it to occupy Britannia; Norman ships sailed it in 1066 to reshape English rule; and for centuries afterward it became a frontline between rival kingdoms vying for control of Europe’s trade and power.In the modern age, the stra