Like the emotion felt around the world during the fire at Notre-Dame de Paris on April 15, 2019, many heads of state and government were keen to attend its reopening, responding in attendance at the invitation of the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron. The rain seemed to bring back the echo of the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games where these same heads of state had braved the bad weather. It also made it possible to coexist inside the restored cathedral, the secular republican festival and the religious celebration. At the end of months of diplomatic negotiations between the Élysée and the diocese around this thorny subject, it is ultimately the will of the (rainy) sky which will have decided.
In terms of diplomacy, Notre-Dame de Paris was a symbol of peace during this day, since it was the opportunity for Emmanuel Macron to bring together the recently elected American president, Donald Trump, and the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky at the Élysée. . Then welcomed in a tent facing the cathedral by the President of the Republic and Brigitte Macron, the elected heads of state and sovereigns took turns posing with the cathedral in majesty in the background. Under the vaults, a veritable diplomatic ballet was put in place to place crowned heads and political figures in the front rows. If the entry of Volodymyr Zelensky, still in warlord uniform, was warmly applauded, the presence of Donald Trump, whose first official trip abroad since his election and before his inauguration scheduled for January 20 next, has somewhat eclipsed that of Jill Biden and her daughter Ashley.
Donald Trump superstar
Arriving in majesty, Donald Trump did not hide his pleasure at being at the heart of the ceremonies, and before returning to his seat, placed between those of Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron, took the time to greet those who, for some, he hadn't seen her for five years.
He seemed to find with undisguised pleasure the German presidents Frank-Walter Steinmaier and Italian Sergio Mattarella or even the Belgian king Philippe and queen Mathilde elegant in a navy blue neoprene jersey set from Natan, created by Edouard Vermeulen “for allow it to resist the cold. Stopping to chat with Prince Albert II of Monaco, he even got news of his twins Jacques and Gabriella while chatting with Prince Albert II of Monaco. In the wake of Donald Trump, the richest man in the world and his future minister of “government efficiency”, Elon Musk made a more discreet but equally notable entrance. He could be seen taking selfies with Pauline, the wife of designer and stylist Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, to whom we owe the new liturgical outfits.
In the crowd, many generous donors, including Bernard and Hélène Arnault, with Antoine Arnault, Delphine Arnault and Xavier Niel, François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek… If the Spanish sovereigns were missing, although announced, Queen Sonja of Norway or the King and Queen of Denmark, detained in Copenhagen by the state visit of Egyptian President Al-Sissi, we found in the front row the Grand Duke Henri and the Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg. The latter has a unique link with the cathedral since she was chosen in 2013, the year of the 850th anniversary of Notre-Dame, to be the godmother of one of its two drones. “This has, in fact, strengthened my connection to the cathedral, a particular and special connection, with all the symbolism of what the bumblebee represents, especially since the godfather of the first bumblebee was none other than King Louis XIV! Faced with this, I feel very small. The drones and bells are the voice of Notre-Dame ringing to celebrate special and important moments in the History of France,” she explained.
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-“A good man that one”
History also seems to have guided the choice of guests for this unique celebration. Descendant of the kings of France and in particular of Saint Louis who brought to France the crown of thorns and holy relics, the Count of Paris, head of the House of France was accompanied by his son, Prince Gaston of Orléans, the “Dolphin.” Next to the latter, the head of the House of Naples, Charles of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies, and his wife Camilla, Duke and Duchess of Castro. According to royal tradition, through the mother of Saint-Louis, Queen Blanche of Castile, the kings of France are descended from the prophet Mohammed, which has always made it possible to maintain close links with the Cherifian kingdom, represented that evening by Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, brother of King Mohammed VI. The other highly noticed prince – more than the co-prince of Andorra, the Bishop of Urgell Joan-Enric Vives – will certainly have been the Prince of Wales, William, who came to represent the United Kingdom. Initially Queen Camilla had planned to be there, but fatigue due to pneumonia prevented her. To console her, during a visit to London last week, Brigitte Macron gave her the book on the Resurrection of Notre-Dame. Coming alone, Prince William, who had attended the Christmas carol concert the day before with his three children organized by his wife Kate in Westminster Abbey, took advantage of his short stay in Paris to meet President-elect Donald Trump at the residence of the British Ambassador in Paris. “A good man, that one,” said Donald Trump, before adding, “he’s doing a fantastic job.”
The heir to the British throne had been tasked by the Foreign Office to hold a private meeting with President Trump, “with the British government seeking to capitalize on the opportunity to cement the special relationship between Britain and the UNITED STATES “.
After the ceremony at the cathedral and these asides, everyone met for a dinner at the Elysée Palace where Donald Trump did useful work, multiplying summit meetings with European leaders such as the Austrian chancellor, the Polish president or the Italian Prime Minister. Notre-Dame de Paris was well worth a big diplomatic mass!
France
