Prince William and Trump meet after Notre Dame reopens

The Prince of Wales met US President-elect Donald Trump during his visit to France for the ceremonial reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Prince William was in Paris along with other dignitaries to celebrate the restoration of the world-famous landmark, which was destroyed by fire five years ago.

After shaking hands at the ceremony, the two also met afterwards. The president-elect described the prince as a “good man” who was doing a “fantastic job.”

During the event, French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech in which he said of the recovery: “We must value this lesson of fragility, humility and will.”

Other leaders and dignitaries at the event included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and outgoing U.S. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who represented President Joe Biden.

Prince William was expected to speak to both Trump and the first lady about the importance of the “special relationship” between the US and Britain in their respective meetings.

Trump welcomed the prince to the ceremony and patted William on the shoulder before the two shook hands and spoke for a few seconds.

He last met Trump in 2019, when the then-president visited the United Kingdom on a state visit.

Prince William, the At the request of the British government, French President Emmanuel Macron also took part and dozens of other heads of state at Saturday’s ceremony.

William and Trump met at the British ambassador’s residence in Paris.

The prince was standing in the foyer when Trump arrived. The couple shook hands again and greeted each other before Trump gestured to the Prince of Wales and said: “Good man, this one.”

Prince William asked the president-elect if he had warmed up, and Trump replied that he had and that “it was a beautiful ceremony.”

Kensington Palace described the meeting as “warm and friendly”.

During their 40-minute joint discussion, William and Trump discussed a range of global issues but focused on the importance of the special relationship between the UK and the US.

The president-elect also shared some warm and fond memories of the late queen, for which the prince is “extremely grateful.”

William should have met too Trump and Dr. Biden earlier in the day, but Kensington Palace said he was delayed due to weather on his trip from Britain to France.

At the ceremony, Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich led more than 1,500 guests through the reopening service.

A choir sang as Macron sat down next to Trump. Before the French President gave his speech, a message from the Pope was read out.

Due to the stormy weather, parts of the event had to be redesigned – a concert that was supposed to take place on the Esplanade took place on Friday.

The prince’s last official trip to Paris was in 2017, when he visited the Princess of Wales for a two-day trip following the Brexit result.

He met with other world leaders in Normandy earlier this year for commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in World War II.

The medieval cathedral has been closed since a major fire in 2019 that destroyed its wooden interiors and then collapsed its tower.

About 600 firefighters battled the fire for 15 hours. The main structure of the 850-year-old building, including its two bell towers, was saved.

Shortly after the fire, Macron set a five-year goal for rebuilding the Catholic Church.

An estimated 2,000 bricklayers, carpenters, restorers, roofers, foundry workers, art experts, sculptors and engineers worked on the project, which reportedly cost €700m (£582m).

Tickets for the first week of the fair in the cathedral were sold out within 25 minutes, said the cathedral’s rector.

Analysis by Sean Coughlan, Royal Correspondent

Like his old days as a rescue pilot, Prince William was forced to rush to Paris for this meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.

But what needs to be saved on this occasion is the well-being of the special relationship between the US and the UK.

It’s an important link for both sides – and for broader military ties like NATO – but there isn’t much obvious empathy between Starmer’s Labor government and the new Republicans.

That’s why taxpayer-funded royals are being brought in to pave the way. Prince William takes on the role of statesman and meets Trump before attending the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Trump is a royal fan, so that could lead to a more positive connection. Prince William last met Trump in 2019 during the then-president’s visit to the United Kingdom, where Trump spoke very enthusiastically about his meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth II.

But there is a huge contrast in their styles. Prince William’s flagship project is his Earthshot environmental awards, while Trump has dismissed efforts to promote green energy as a “fraud.”

This week Prince William was out serving dinner at the Passage homeless charity and on Friday evening he helped with a “kindness tree” outside Westminster Abbey.

A kindness tree and campaigns on housing and climate change aren’t exactly Make America Great Again style.

But the aim of this hastily arranged meeting will be a royal charm offensive to build bridges at an uncertain time for Western alliances.