BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN ROSE
Prince William will meet president-elect Donald Trump in Paris to discuss the ‘special relationship’ on Saturday as they join world leaders for the reopening of Notre-Dame.
William, representing the UK, will travel to France by request of the Government for the event celebrating the £600m restoration of the landmark cathedral following a devastating fire in 15 April 2019. This is his first official visit to France since 2017.
Beyond the spectacle of the cathedral’s reopening, the presence of the US president-elect transforms the weekend into a potentially significant diplomatic moment.
Reports suggest that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will also be present though no meeting with Mr Trump has yet been confirmed.
The iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors today following an ambitious five-year project to restore a monument that took nearly two centuries to build.
World leaders, dignitaries, and worshippers will gather this evening to mark the occasion, led by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich.
Due to poor weather, the entire opening ceremony for 1,500 guests will be held inside the cathedral itself, the French presidential palace and Paris diocese said.
By Saturday morning, organisers said 50mph gusts of wind and heavy downpours would disrupt the evening ceremony.
Notre Dame’s rector, Rev. Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, says the cathedral is ‘more than just a French monument’ and a beloved treasure of world’s cultural heritage.
‘The cathedral is a magnificent symbol of unity,’ the rector said. ‘A sign of hope, because what seemed impossible has become possible.’
Saturday’s events will blend solemn religious tradition with cultural grandeur, starting with Ulrich symbolically reopening Notre Dame’s grand wooden doors.
Tapping them three times with a staff crafted from charred wood salvaged from the cathedral’s fire-ravaged roof, he will declare the cathedral open for worship once more.
Psalms, prayers, and hymns will fill the cavernous space as the cathedral’s thunderous organ, silenced since the fire, is reawakened.
The 8,000-pipe instrument, painstakingly restored and cleaned of toxic lead dust, will respond to the archbishop’s invocation, with four organists performing an improvised interplay of melodies.
Later in the evening, a star-studded concert will take center stage inside the cathedral and pay tribute to its resurrection and to those who labored to restore it, offering a universal message of harmony.
Public viewing areas along the Seine’s southern bank will accommodate 40,000 spectators, who can follow the celebrations on large screens.
The archbishop’s reopening of the cathedral doors will be followed by a liturgical service and the reawakening of the grand organ, ending with the celebratory concert that will honor Notre Dame’s cultural and spiritual significance.
For many, Notre Dame’s rebirth is not just a French achievement but a global one – after the reopening, the cathedral is set to welcome 15 million visitors annually, up from 12 million before the fire.
Following the 2019 fire, nearly $1 billion in donations quickly poured in from around the world, testifying to Notre Dame’s universal appeal
