President-elect Donald Trump met with Prince William after the ceremonial reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Saturday, calling the Prince of Wales a “great man.”
The two shook hands and spoke briefly at the ceremony, and met after the event for about 40 minutes at the residence of the British ambassador in Paris, where the 42-year-old Prince of Wales, still sporting a beard he grew during summer vacation, met Trump at the door, and said “Great to see you.”
As both men stood in the foyer and posed for photos, Trump praised the British throne’s heir apparent, saying, “Great man this one. He’s going to do a fantastic job.”
The two had a “warm, friendly meeting,” Kensington Palace said.
“The pair discussed a range of global issues but focused on the importance of the UK/US special relationship. President Trump also shared some warm and fond memories with The Prince about the Late Queen for which [His Royal Highness] was extremely grateful.”
Prince William was also expected to have a similar meeting with First Lady Jill Biden, who attended the Paris ceremony on behalf of lame-duck President Biden, according to BBC.
The prince had planned to meet the president-elect and first lady before the ceremony but the meetings got pushed back because bad weather delayed his arrival in Paris.
Trump and the prince last met in 2019 during the then-president’s trip to the UK, where he gushed about his meeting with the late Queen Elizabeth II.
More more 1,500 people attended the Paris event celebrating the restoration of Notre Dame, five years after a devastating fire badly damaged the word-famous landmark.
The list of attendees also included actress Salma Hayak and her billionaire husband, French fashion magnate Francois-Henri Pinault; French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
