Prince William to meet Trump at Notre Dame reopening ceremony

The Prince of Wales will meet Donald Trump in Paris when he joins world leaders for the ceremonial reopening of Notre Dame.

William will travel to France on Saturday at the request of the French government for the high-profile event celebrating the restoration of the cathedral, “the soul of France”, after a devastating fire in 2019.

While in Paris, William will hold meetings with the US president-elect and the first lady, Jill Biden, Kensington Palace said.

Trump and dozens of heads of state and government accepted invitations from the French president, Emmanuel Macron, to attend the ceremony.

William’s last official visit to Paris was in 2017 when he and the Princess of Wales made a two-day trip in the aftermath of the Brexit result.

William also joined world leaders in Normandy for the 80th-anniversary commemorations of the second world war D-day landings earlier this year.

An inaugural mass will be held on Sunday with special rites to consecrate the main altar. Photograph: Stephane de Sakutin -Pool/Sipa/Rex/Shutterstock

Notre Dame’s reopening will include the ritualised opening of the cathedral’s huge doors, the reawakening of its thunderous organ and the celebration of the first mass.

For France and the Catholic church, the televised and tightly scripted ceremonies will be an opportunity to display resilience and global influence.

Tickets for the first week of masses were snapped up in 25 minutes, the cathedral’s rector said.

In the first part of Notre Dame’s rebirth on Saturday evening, the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich, will lead more than 1,500 guests through a reopening service.

An inaugural mass will be held featuring special rites to consecrate the main altar on Sunday.