Prince William of Wales will attend the opening ceremony of Notre-Dame Cathedral after a 5-year restoration. The opening ceremony will also be attended by French President Macron and other world leaders.

Prince William of Wales will take part in the opening of Notre-Dame Cathedral after restoration this weekend, Kensington Palace announced, writes UNN with reference to the BBC.

Details

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

The prince will pay the visit "at the request of His Majesty's government on behalf of the United Kingdom," Kensington Palace said.

At the ceremony , he will join French President Emmanuel Macron and US President-elect Donald Trump, as well as other world leaders and heads of state.

Addition

The medieval cathedral has been closed since a major fire broke out in 2019, which destroyed the stained glass windows and wooden elements of the interior, and then caused the spire to collapse.

About 600 firefighters battled the fire for 15 hours.

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

Shortly after the fire, Macron set a goal to restore the Catholic Church in 5 years.

An estimated 2,000 masons, carpenters, restorers, roofers, foundries, art historians, sculptors and engineers worked on the project, reportedly costing 700 million euros.

King Charles visited the cathedral to see the restoration during a state visit to France last year.

Last week, Macron toured the building live before its official opening ,giving the public the opportunity to look inside for the first time.