Prince William to join world leaders at reopening of Notre-Dame cathedral
Prince William will be one of the first to see the inside of the Notre Dame Cathedral in its reopening ceremony.
The Prince of Wales will be heading to Paris alongside Donald Trump and other world leaders after the 800-year-old building was engulfed in a fire in April 2019.
The wooden spire and roof were destroyed in the blaze, which likely started either by a cigarette or a short circuit in the electrical system.
Five years later it is ready to reopen after £582,000,000 was donated to the restoration project.
Images broadcast live show the gaping holes that the fire tore into the vaulted ceilings are gone, now filled in with new stonework.
The president entered via the cathedral’s giant and intricately carved front doors and stared up at the ceilings in wonder.
‘This is overwhelming,’ he said, while examining the craftsmanship.
Footage showed the renovated stonework, vibrant colours, and other fruits of the mammoth reconstruction.
Its spire, rib vaulting, flying buttresses, stained-glass windows and carved stone gargoyles have been restored to their past glory, with the white stone and gold decorations shining brighter than ever.
Stone-carver Samir Abbas: ‘It was an exceptional renovation project.’
The president will return on December 7 to deliver an address and attend the consecration of the new altar during a solemn Mass the following day.
He hailed the reconstruction as a symbol of national unity and French can-do.
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