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Royal News

Prince William to join kings, queens and Donald Trump at the reopening of Notre Dame

The Prince of Wales will be among guests at the service marking the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Prince William will be at ceremony in Paris which will be attended by around 50 heads of state and official representatives.

The heir to the throne is attending at the request of the government.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians have also already confirmed their attendance as has the President elect of the United States, Donald Trump.

Other royals are expected among the 1,500 guests at the cathedral with Paris with reports that King Felipe VI of Spain will also be there.

The official reopening takes place five years after the medieval building was hit by a devastating fire. Thousands of hours of work and hundreds of people have been involved in restoring the cathedral.

The process of reopening Notre Dame will begin when Laurent Ulrich, the Catholic Archbishop of Paris, bangs on the doors with his crozier which has been created by Sylvain Dubuisson from charred pieces of wood that fell from the ceiling when the cathedral caught light.

Royalty and official guests are all invited by the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, who is currently under severe pressure after the new government fell in recent days.

There have also been complaints about access to the reopening of Notre Dame with security cordons put in place that will only allow guests and long term residents of the Ile de la Cite into the area. All shops in the tourist hotspot will be closed for the weekend leading to some complaints.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Editor in Chief at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.