Prince William to attend reopening of Notre-Dame

The Prince of Wales will attend the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris this weekend, Kensington Palace has announced.

Prince William will travel to France on Saturday, where he will join a celebration to mark the restoration of the world-famous Gothic building, which was devastated by a fire five years ago.

The prince is travelling "at the request of His Majesty's Government on behalf of the United Kingdom", Kensington Palace said.

At the reopening ceremony he will join French president Emmanuel Macron and the US president-elect Donald Trump, along with other world leaders and heads of state.

The medieval cathedral has been closed since a major fire tore through it in 2019, destroying its wooden interiors before toppling its spire.

Some 600 firefighters battled the blaze for 15 hours.

The main structure of the 850-year-old building was saved, including its two bell towers.

Macron set a five-year goal for the reconstruction of the Catholic church shortly after the fire.

At the time, the French culture ministry said millions of euros had been raised or pledged for the work.

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

King Charles visited the cathedral to see the restoration on a state visit to France last year, where he was shown the craft skills involved in the rebuilding of the site.

Last week, Macron toured the building on live TV ahead of its official opening, giving the public a first look inside it.

The building was not only repaired, but also cleaned of centuries' worth of dust and soot from the fire.

In a speech, Macron paid tribute to the craftspeople who had worked on the refurbishment.

"The blaze at Notre-Dame was a national wound, and you have been its remedy through will, through work, through commitment," he said.

"I am so deeply grateful, France is so deeply grateful," the president said, adding: "You have brought Notre-Dame back."

Prince William last visited Paris in 2017, when he travelled to the French capital with his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, for a two-day trip.

The reopening, taking place throughout the weekend, includes the ritualised opening of the cathedral's massive doors, the reawakening of its thunderous organ and the celebration of a first Mass.

According to the cathedral's rector, tickets for the first week of Masses to be held in the restored church were snapped up within 25 minutes of going on sale.