00:00 Speaking in perfect French, King Charles emphasized the importance of friendship between Britain and France.
00:07 In a speech at the French Senate this morning, he said the two nations share responsibility on the war in Ukraine and climate change.
00:15 His three-day state visit to France, part of an effort to rebuild a relationship that became strained during Brexit.
00:21 France 24's Philippe Turel is following the king around France for his visit.
00:27 He is currently at the Notre Dame Cathedral. Philippe, tell us why the king is headed to Notre Dame today.
00:34 Well, Notre Dame, as we all remember, was the victim of a major fire on April 15, 2019.
00:45 A fire that shocked the world and which destroyed parts of the cathedral almost immediately
00:52 because the spire, which was built by Viollet-le-Duc back in the 19th century, collapsed.
00:57 Most of the roof collapsed as well and there were 13th century beams that were destroyed as well.
01:02 Some of the artifacts in the inside were also damaged and smoke also caused widespread damage as well.
01:09 So there's a very, very big rebuilding program which is currently underway.
01:13 And King Charles has been very supportive of all the efforts that have been taking place since 2019 to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral.
01:24 President Macron, who was president at the time, issued a statement the day after the fire saying that Notre Dame would be reconstructed to its original state
01:33 and that it would be a five-year program before Notre Dame was open to the public once again.
01:38 Well, that five years is due to come to an end in December 2024. That's in just over a year's time.
01:45 So as part of the visit here today by King Charles to Paris, he's decided to come to see for himself, with his own eyes,
01:54 how this renovation program is taking place.
01:57 You can just see down to the left of me the fire brigade, which is there.
02:01 They'll be talking to him about the rescue efforts that went on that day, how they put the fire out.
02:06 Just next to them is a group of stonemasons who will be showing the King how they've managed to restore the stonework that was damaged,
02:14 the beams that also collapsed as a result of the fire.
02:18 And then he will go inside the cathedral, where he will be greeted by officials who will show him around
02:25 and let him have a look at all the reconstruction work that is currently underway.
02:29 It has to be said, though, that Notre Dame Cathedral is still not open to the public.
02:33 So the only image of the cathedral that the public can get right now is the one that I have behind me,
02:39 which is, of course, an exterior view.
02:42 Now, Philip, the King also this morning spoke before the French Senate,
02:48 a speech in which he switched very fluidly between English and French several times.
02:53 Can you tell us what the main takeaways of his address were?
03:00 Well, it was mostly to underline the importance of Franco-British relations, the exchanges between the two countries,
03:06 the military cooperation between Britain and France that goes way back,
03:10 particularly underlining how the two countries came together during the Second World War.
03:15 There was also a homage to the late king's mother, Queen Elizabeth II, and her links to France,
03:22 which have been described as the golden thread bringing the two countries together.
03:26 But also King Charles was there to promote British business.
03:30 He cited, for example, the tailor Paul Smith, the fashion designer, as one of the influences in France now
03:38 and how important it was to keep those influences up in the future.
03:42 So a very positive pro-European statement, also with a warning that democracies could be under threat
03:50 if one looks at what's happening in Ukraine right now,
03:52 which is another reason why France and Britain needed to remain solidly friendly over the coming years.
03:59 A bit, I think, to sweep Brexit under the carpet and to renew those relations,
04:03 which, as you said earlier, have been severely strained over the past few years as a result of the debate over Brexit.
