Royals

The Queen and Prince Charles release emotional statements following the fire of Notre-Dame Cathedral

“Our hearts go out to you and the people of France, more than you can ever know.”
queen elizabeth II seriousShutterstock

Queen Elizabeth II and Charles, the Prince of Wales, have both issued statements to the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, sharing their sadness following the devastating fire which tore through the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15.

Sharing a statement on the official royal website, the Queen, who will be celebrating her 93rd birthday this Sunday wrote: “Prince Philip and I have been deeply saddened to see the images of the fire which has engulfed Notre-Dame Cathedral.

“I extend my sincere admiration to the emergency services who have risked their lives to try to save this important national monument.

“My thoughts and prayers are with those who worship at the Cathedral and all of France at this difficult time,” she added, signing it off with “Elizabeth R.”

The Queen walking down Champs-Elysees in Paris in 2004. (Image: Getty)

Her son, Prince Charles also shared an emotional message, saying he and his wife Duchess Camilla were “utterly heartbroken to learn of the terrible fire,” and wanted to let the President know immediately “how much we are thinking of yourself and the French people at this most agonising of times, and the emergency services who are so bravely tackling the blaze.

“I realise only too well what a truly special significance the Cathedral holds at the heart of your nation; but also for us all outside France it represent one of the greatest architectural achievements of Western Civilisation,” the message continues.

“It is a treasure of mankind and, as such, to witness its destruction in the most dreadful conflagration is a shattering tragedy, the unbearable pain of which we all share.

“Cher Monsieur le Président, our hearts go out to you and the people of France more than you can ever know, especially in view of our experience with the devastating fire at Windsor Castle twenty-seven years ago.

“We send you our most profound sympathy, however inadequate that may be.

“Très cordialement à vous, Charles” it ends – with warm regards, Charles.

The tragic fire which swept through the Notre-Dame Cathedral on April 15. (Image: Getty)

“Tres cordialement a vous, Charles” it ends – with warm regards, Charles.

The heartfelt messages follow the horrific fire which ripped through the 850-year-old Gothic building in the heart of Paris on Monday afternoon.

After 15 hours, with 500 firefighters risking their lives to fight the flames, the fire was announced to be extinguished and according to The Guardian if the fire had continued for another 15 to 30 minutes the entire Cathedral could have been completely destroyed.

Since then people all over the world have shared their grief and heartbreak at the devastation, with French tycoons and global corporations donating money towards the restoration of the historic Cathedral.

In a speech on Monday night French President Emmanuel Macron said, “The worst has been avoided, but the battle isn’t fully won yet.”

He told reporters,”Notre Dame is our history, our literature, part of our psyche, the place of all our great events, our epidemics, our wars, our liberations, the epicenter of our lives.”

And he said it was France’s “destiny” to rebuild the Cathedral, “I solemnly pledge that we will rebuild the cathedral together.”

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