Trump and Prince William meet at Notre Dame's opening ceremony in Paris

US President-elect Donald Trump met with Prince William in Paris at the opening ceremony of Notre Dame Cathedral. The Independent reported on December 7.

"They greeted each other at the ceremony at Notre Dame, with Trump patting William on the shoulder before shaking hands <...> Trump praised the Prince of Wales for a fantastic job," the publication said.

After the ceremony, the two headed for a 40-minute meeting at the residence of the British ambassador to the country.

Earlier, on December 7, French President Emmanuel Macron during a speech expressed gratitude to all those who participated in the restoration of the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. He also noted the merits of 340 thousand people who made donations for the restoration of the cathedral, and said that the fire affected not only the citizens of France, but also people outside its borders.

The opening ceremony of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris in Paris was held indoors due to bad weather. The invitation to the opening ceremony was accepted by US President-elect Donald Trump. At the same time, the current President Joe Biden decided not to attend the event.

In April 2019, the largest fire in history occurred in the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. The spire collapsed, the flames engulfed the supporting structure. As established by the investigation, the fire started at the top, where restoration work was underway at the time. The exact cause of the fire was not made public. In March 2023 it was reported about the completion of an important stage of restoration of Notre Dame de Paris - restorers mounted the spire of the cathedral. On December 31, 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron announced in his New Year's address that the cathedral would be reopened to visitors on December 8, 2024.