PRINCE William met US President-elect Donald Trump at the unveiling of the £1billion restoration of Notre Dame last night — as he stood in for the King.
The pair exchanged a warm handshake as Mr Trump patted William on the shoulder in a chat before the service.
They later had a meeting at the UK ambassador’s residence. It was scheduled for before the ceremony but the Prince’s arrival in Paris was delayed by bad weather.
As Mr Trump arrived he joked to onlookers about William: “He’s a big man, this one. He’s doing a fantastic job.”
William said: “Warm the toes up after the cathedral.” Mr Trump laughed and replied: “Right.”
Earlier, William was welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron at the glittering event, also attended by Ukraine leader Volodymyr Zelensky and tech billionaire Elon Musk.
William was scrambled to attend the re-opening of the cathedral — which went up in flames in 2019 — after a last-minute requested by Whitehall, in place of the King.
The visit was only announced on Friday. French officials had expected the King to attend.
It means the Prince has met Mr Trump since his US presidential victory before PM Sir Keir Starmer.
Last night’s meeting lasted 40 minutes and was described as “warm and friendly”.
The pair discussed a range of global issues but “focused on the importance of the UK/US special relationship”.
Mr Trump also shared some “warm and fond memories” with William about the late Queen.
Royal insiders added that the fact William flew to Paris was a sign he would increasingly represent the country on the international stage.
When he revealed he had cancer in February, the King stepped away from public duties for three months and is still having treatment.
The King has given his son the go-ahead to conduct engagements like this and is confident William will prove a great ambassador
A royal source said: “The King has given his son the go-ahead to conduct engagements like this and is confident William will prove a great ambassador.
“This was a last-minute request from Whitehall. The government asked the family to provide a representative and William agreed he would like to fulfil the role.”
William also spoke to US First Lady Jill Biden at the cathedral.
Before the event, Mr Trump stood beside Mr Zelensky outside the Élysée Palace.
The pair — and Mr Macron — had held a meeting amid fears US support for Ukraine could cool when Mr Trump is sworn in.
Mr Zelensky was later given a standing ovation by the congregation at Notre Dame as he entered.
By Ryan Parry
IT took more than 200 years to build the Notre Dame Cathedral — and just a few hours for a raging inferno to almost destroy it in 2019.
Hours after the devastating blaze, President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild the Gothic masterpiece within five years.
It started a mind-boggling £1billion restoration project, with more than 1,600 tons of scaffolding going up.
More than 1,000 craftsmen and 2,000 labourers have worked around the clock to restore the cathedral.
Builders used 1,200 oak trees from 200 French forests to recreate the roof’s mammoth frame.
It had to support 4,000 square metres of lead weighing 210 tons.
More than 1,000 pieces of wood were also used to rebuild the 96-metre spire, first erected in 1859, with the largest pieces up to 12 metres long.
Using techniques not used for such a major build in centuries, 60 timber hewers and carpenters replicated the intricate medieval architecture.
Around 1,000 cubic metres of new stone were needed to renovate the vaults.
The Grand Organ’s 8,000 pipes were also dismantled, cleaned and restored, taking eight months.
A similar process took place with the bells in the north tower — no mean feat as the biggest weighs four tons.
President Macron declared last month on a visit: “You have achieved what was thought impossible.”
IT is great to see Prince William gradually emerging as Britain’s head of state in waiting.
Yesterday he showed maturity and poise when representing Britain and meeting incoming US President Donald Trump at the reopening of Notre Dame cathedral.
The Prince was due to stress the importance of the Special Relationship between the US and Britain.
The message could hardly be more timely given the uncertainty around Mr Trump’s foreign and trade policies.
King Charles will, of course, play the key role as monarch in any state visit by the US President.
A perfect opportunity for this will fall when Mr Trump travels to a Nato summit in the Hague in June.
Yet the Prince’s growing confidence in filling in for his father on such sensitive occasions is reassuring.
Sir Keir’s own Cabinet ministers have an embarrassing past history of criticising Mr Trump.
So the PM must count himself lucky he has such excellent royal ambassadors for Britain on his side.
