Prince William and Trump meet after Notre-Dame reopening
The Prince of Wales met with US President-elect Donald Trump during his visit to France for the ceremonial reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Prince William joined other global leaders in Paris to celebrate the restoration of the iconic landmark, which had been severely damaged by a fire five years ago.
After exchanging greetings at the ceremony, the two also met privately, with Trump describing the prince as a “good man” who is doing a “fantastic job.”
During the event, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a speech, stating, “We must treasure this lesson of fragility, humility, and will” in relation to the restoration.
Other prominent figures attending the ceremony included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and outgoing US First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, who was representing President Joe Biden.
Prince William was expected to discuss the significance of the US-UK “special relationship” in his meetings with both Trump and the first lady.
Upon greeting the prince at the ceremony, Trump gave William a pat on the shoulder, followed by a handshake and a brief conversation.
The last time Prince William met Trump was in 2019 during the former president’s state visit to the UK.
Attending at the request of the UK government, Prince William joined President Macron and numerous other heads of state for the event on Saturday.
The prince and Trump later met at the British ambassador’s residence in Paris. Standing in the foyer when Trump arrived, they exchanged handshakes and greetings, after which Trump referred to the Prince of Wales as a “good man.”
Prince William asked if Trump had warmed up, to which the president-elect responded that he had, calling the ceremony “beautiful.”
Kensington Palace has described the meeting between as “warm and friendly.”
During their 40 minutes together, William and Trump discussed a range of global issues but focused on the importance of the UK/US special relationship.
The president-elect also shared some warm and fond memories of the late Queen for which the prince was said to be “extremely grateful.”
William had also been due to meetTrump and Dr Biden earlier in the day but Kensington Palace said he had been delayed by weather on his journey from the UK to France.
At the ceremony, The Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich led more than 1,500 guests through the reopening service.
A choir sang out as Macron took his seat next to Trump. A message from the Pope was read aloud before the French president delivered his address.
Parts of the event had to be reconfigured due to the stormy weather – with a concert that was due to take place on the esplanade actually being staged on Friday.
The prince’s last official trip to Paris was in 2017, when he visited with the Princess of Wales for a two-day trip in the aftermath of the Brexit result.
He joined other world leaders in Normandy earlier this year for the 80th anniversary commemorations of the Second World War D-Day landings.
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.
An estimated 2,000 masons, 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 Masses in the cathedral sold out in 25 minutes, the cathedral’s rector said.
Prince William has been scrambled, like in his old air ambulance days, to rush to this meeting in Paris with President-elect Donald Trump.
Although what’s in need of rescue on this occasion is the well-being of the special relationship between the US and the UK.
It’s an important connection for both sides – and for wider military links such as Nato – but there’s not a lot of obvious empathy between Starmer’s Labour government and the incoming Republicans.
So the royals, who are funded by taxpayers, are being deployed to smooth the path, with Prince William taking on the statesman role, meeting Trump before attending the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral.
Trump is a royal fan, so that might make for a more positive connection. Prince William last met Trump in 2019, during the then-president’s visit to the UK, where Trump spoke very enthusiastically about his meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
But there’s a massive contrast in their styles. Prince William’s flagship project is his Earthshot environmental awards, while Trump has dismissed efforts to boost green energy as a “scam”.
This week Prince William went to serve dinner at the Passage homelessness charity and on Friday night he was helping with a “kindness tree” outside Westminster Abbey.
A kindness tree and campaigning on housing and climate-change aren’t exactly the ‘Make America Great Again’ style.
But the aim of this hurriedly-arranged meeting will be for a royal charm offensive to help build bridges at an uncertain time for western alliances.
