LONDON, April 16 (Reuters) - Britain's Queen Elizabeth has sent a message to French President Emmanuel Macron to say she was deeply saddened by the fire which engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on Monday and that her prayers were with all of France, Buckingham Palace said.

Elizabeth's oldest son Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, said he too was "utterly heartbroken" to learn of the fire.

In a mark of solidarity with France, Prime Minister Theresa May said the bells at Westminster Abbey would toll at 1643 GMT on Tuesday to mark the moment the fire began.

"Prince Philip and I have been deeply saddened to see the images of the fire which has engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral," Elizabeth's message said.

"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."

Charles, who has expressed strong feelings about protecting traditional architecture, said in a message to Macron: "I realize 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 represents one of the greatest architectural achievements of Western Civilization."

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

Prime Minister May said she had told Macron that Britain stood ready to support France in any way it could with rebuilding.

"President Macron has pledged to rebuild the cathedral and I have conveyed to him that the UK will support this endeavour however we can," she said in a statement. (Reporting by Michael Holden and Kate Holton; editing by Stephen Addison) </s> French citizens joined global leaders to rally behind Emmanuel Macron in the aftermath of a fire that ravaged the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, giving the French President an opportunity to quell the political volatility that’s embroiled his government.Macron vowed on Monday night to rebuild the 850-year-old Gothic monument, an issue that’s united the French population across the political spectrum, with national parties suspending their European election campaigns and leaders from around the globe lending their support.The fire prompted the cancellation of a planned speech by the 41-year-old leader meant to allay the concerns of citizens angered over economic disparities and by a lack of trust in the political system. The address was an effort to move past months of protests by the Yellow Vests movement and bolster Macron’s popularity, which had taken a battering from a public perception that he’s out of touch and that his policies favor the rich.“This is an opportunity for Macron to reach out to the opposition to create unity in a fractured, divided nation,” said Bruno Cautres, a politics professor at Sciences Po institute, who cycles past the landmark every morning. “He can’t be seen as using this moment of widespread grief, but at the same time, people will expect all politicians to start working together, first for Notre Dame and hopefully, beyond Notre Dame.”The fire raged for about 12 hours, taking with it about two-thirds of the roof and its spire, and at one point late Monday night even the stone structure of the monument was at risk. The cause of the fire is still unknown but Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said nothing indicates it was started deliberately. Paris prosecutors opened a non-criminal investigation, a common step in such a major incident.The entire structure was a half-hour away from collapsing before firemen prevented the blaze from engulfing the bell towers, according to Deputy Interior Minister Laurent Nunez.Culture Minister Franck Riester said major treasures such as the “Crown of Thorns” and Louis IX’s tunic were removed to City Hall, while other relics were taken to the Louvre. The altars weren’t burned but will be removed to be treated for smoke damage, while the rose windows appeared to have escaped major damage, he said.The initial budget to restore the cathedral before the fire was about 150 million euros ($170 million), and may need to be increased to about 450 million euros now, according to Michel Picaud, president of the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris.Money has already started to arrive for a rebuilding that will take years if not decades. The Paris region has unblocked 10 million euros ($11.5 million) in emergency funding. The Pinault family of Gucci owner Kering SA announced it was giving 100 million euros and the Arnault family that controls LVMH said it pledged 200 million euros.In his canceled speech, Macron had been expected to announce middle class income tax cuts, indexation of small pensions and the abolition of the elite ENA school for civil servants, in an effort to assuage grassroots discontent, French media reported.The fire comes a a little over a month before France is due to elect its members of the European Parliament . According to Ifop’s daily rolling poll, Macron’s La Republique en Marche! party and Marine Le Pen’s euro-skeptic National Rally are tied at 21.5 percent, with the Republicans in third place at 13 percent. In the latest Ipsos poll, Macron’s approval rating fell 1 point to 27 percent.In the week leading up to Monday, political leaders from opposition parties were on television saying Macron’s measures wouldn’t be up to the task, even without knowing what he was due to announce. Hours later they were all expressing their sadness at France’s incalculable artistic loss.“For two years, all we’ve had are tortured words that go around in circles, and when we get to the finish line there’s nothing there,” Laurent Wauquiez, head of The Republicans, the largest opposition party in Parliament, said Sunday on BFM TV. Monday night he wrote on Twitter that “it’s a whole part of our history, of all of us, that burns tonight.” He canceled an EU election rally he was due to attend in the southern city of Nimes Tuesday night.Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed party and one of Macron’s most scathing critics, said “This building is like a member of our family. For at least 24 hours I can’t feel and act like a politician.”Macron will have to walk a fine line, and tragic incidents throughout Europe have proven to be pitfalls for leaders who miscalculated the political severity of the events. British Prime Minister Theresa May had to admit that her initial handling of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed at least 80 people in a London apartment block, was “not good enough” because she hadn’t met victims on her first visit.Francois Hollande, who was president in 2015 when a terrorist rampage left 12 dead in France, saw his flagging popularity revive after the incident. Hollande oversaw a manhunt and brought international statesmen and millions of voters together in a show of political force, which earned him a temporary boost in his approval ratings.Leaders from around the world expressed their solidarity with Paris, including Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Macron will speak later Tuesday with Pope Francis , after having talked earlier with U.S. President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres.Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, whose populist government has been at odds with Macron, reached across the political divide.“A thought and a hug for the people of Paris,” Salvini wrote on Twitter. “From Italy, all of our friendship and all the help we can give.” </s> French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to see fire-ravaged Notre Dame rebuilt within five years

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to see fire-ravaged Notre Dame rebuilt within five years. </s> PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is promising not to let the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral diminish his commitment to respond to the economic inequality concerns raised by the yellow vest protest movement.

Macron said during a short national address on Tuesday he plans to outline his proposals after immediate needs from the Notre Dame fire are addressed.

An important TV speech by the French leader was postponed when the scope of the threat at Notre Dame fire became clear. It was expected to cover the government's formal policy answer to the protests.

Macron said, "I will come back to you, as I committed, in the coming days" and asked the people of France to focus on Notre Dame for now,

He said: "What we've seen together in Paris overnight, it's our ability to unite. </s> French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame after a major fire partially destroyed the Paris landmark.

Firefighters managed to save the 850-year-old Gothic building’s main stone structure, including its two towers, but the spire and roof collapsed.

The fire was declared under control almost nine hours after it started.

The cause is not yet clear but officials say it could be linked to extensive renovation works under way.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said it was currently being investigated as an accident. A firefighter was lightly injured while tackling the blaze, Commander Jean-Claude Gallet told BFM TV.

The fire began at around 18:30 (16:30 GMT) and quickly reached the roof of the cathedral, destroying its stained-glass windows and the wooden interior before toppling the spire.

Fears grew that the cathedral’s famous towers would also be destroyed by the blaze.

But while a number of fires did begin in the towers, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said they were successfully stopped before they could spread.

By the early hours of Tuesday, the fire was declared under control, although it is expected to take several days to be completely extinguished.

What is the damage?

Search teams had already begun assessing the extent of the damage when dawn broke over the French capital. The cathedral’s blackened stone and charred scaffolding were revealed to onlookers for the first time.

According to fire brigade spokesman Lt-Col Gabriel Plus “the whole of the roof has been devastated… a part of the vault has collapsed, the spire is no more”.

More on the Notre Dame fire:

A French view: The horror of watching our country’s embodiment burn

The images which captured a tragedy as it unfolded

Gargoyles and relics: The treasures which make Notre Dame so special

However, it could have been much worse. Mr Nuñez said that, had fire crews not entered the building, “without doubt it would have collapsed”, French newspaper Le Monde reported.

Franck Riester, France’s culture minister, warned that while the principal structure had been saved, the building was still unstable.

What happens next?

Already, individuals and groups are mobilising to help rebuild Notre-Dame. Hundreds of millions of euros have already been pledged.

Billionaire François-Henri Pinault, chairman and CEO of the Kering group that owns the Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent fashion brands, pledged €100m (£86m; $113m) towards rebuilding Notre-Dame, AFP news agency reports.

Another €200m was pledged by Bernard Arnault’s family and their company LVMH – a business empire which includes Louis Vuitton and Sephora – on Tuesday morning, according to Reuters news agency.

The French charity Fondation du Patrimoine is launching an international appeal for funds for the cathedral, a Unesco World Heritage site.

Visiting the scene on Monday night, Mr Macron – who said the “worst had been avoided” with the preservation of the cathedral’s main structure – pledged to launch an international fundraising scheme for the reconstruction.

“We’ll rebuild this cathedral all together and it’s undoubtedly part of the French destiny and the project we’ll have for the coming years,” said Mr Macron.

“That’s what the French expect [and] because it’s what our history deserves,” he added, visibly emotional, calling it a “terrible tragedy”.

Sections of the building were under scaffolding as part of the renovations and 16 copper statues had been removed last week. Work began after cracks appeared in the stone, sparking fears the structure could become unstable.

Mr Macron said the cathedral was “for all French people”, including those who had never been there, and praised the “extreme courage” of the 500 firefighters involved in the operation.

What about the cathedral’s treasures?

Emergency teams managed to rescue valuable artwork and religious items, including what is said to be the crown of thorns worn by Jesus before his crucifixion, which were stored inside the cathedral built in the 12th and 13th centuries.

A tunic, which King Louis IX is said to have worn when he brought the crown of thorns to Paris, was also saved.

“We had a chain of solidarity, especially in saving the works of art… [They] were able to be saved and put in a safe place,” said Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo. “This is a tragedy for the whole world… Notre-Dame is the entire history of Paris.”

Historian Camille Pascal told French broadcaster BFMTV that “invaluable heritage” had been destroyed. “Happy and unfortunate events for centuries have been marked by the bells of Notre-Dame. We can be only horrified by what we see.”

How has the world reacted?

Thousands of people gathered in the streets around the cathedral, observing the flames in silence. Some could be seen openly weeping, while others sang hymns or said prayers.

Several churches around Paris rang their bells in response to the blaze, which happened as Catholics celebrate Holy Week.

“Notre-Dame is burning, France is crying and the whole world, too. It is extremely emotional,” Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit said.

The Vatican expressed “shock and sadness” while UK Prime Minister Theresa May described the fire as “terrible”.

Unesco said it stood “at France’s side to save and restore this priceless heritage” visited by almost 13 million visitors each year, more than the Eiffel Tower.

Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel called the Notre-Dame a “symbol of French and European culture”.

US President Donald Trump said it was “horrible to watch” the fire and suggested that “flying water tankers” could be used to extinguish the blaze.

In an apparent response, the French Civil Security service said that was not an option as it might result in the collapse of the entire building.

Because of the fire, Mr Macron cancelled a speech on TV in which he was due to address the street protests that have rocked France for months. </s> French President Emmanuel Macron vowed Tuesday to rebuild the badly burned Notre Dame Cathedral in five years, as dramatic footage was released showing the heroism of firefighters who battled the blaze for hours.

“We will rebuild Notre Dame even more beautifully and I want it to be completed in five years," Macron said in a televised address to the nation. "We can do it."

“It is up to us to change this disaster into an opportunity to come together, having deeply reflected on what we have been and what we have to be and become better than we are. It is up to us to find the thread of our national project," he said.

Macron added that Monday's inferno "reminds us that our story never ends. And that we will always have challenges to overcome. What we believe to be indestructible can also be touched."

Macron's comments came one day after a fire raged through the cathedral for more than 12 hours, ultimately destroying its spire and roof but sparing its twin medieval bell towers. As the blaze roared, there was a frantic effort to rescue the monument's "most precious treasures," including the Crown of Thorns said to have been worn by Jesus.

NOTRE DAME'S GOLDEN ALTAR CROSS SEEN GLOWING AS IMAGES EMERGE FROM INSIDE SHOWING FIRE-RAVAGED CATHEDRAL

Also surviving was the Roman Catholic cathedral’s famous 18th century organ that boasts more than 8,000 pipes. Statues removed from the roof for restoration just days before were spared. The cathedral’s high altar was damaged by falling debris when the spire collapsed, an official said.

Although authorities consider the fire an accident, possibly as a result of restoration work at the global architectural treasure that survived almost 900 years of French history, Paris prosecutor Remy Heitz said the inquiry into what caused the fire would be “long and complex.”

Fifty investigators were working on it and are expected to interview workers from five companies hired for the renovations to the cathedral’s roof, where the flames first broke out.

Among those will likely be Julien Le Bras.

The young construction boss bragged about his company's ability to protect historic sites when he landed the lucrative $5.6 million deal to repair the famed cathedral's spire.

Bras, 32, owns the company Le Bras Freres. He has boasted in the past that "our first thought is to protect the values of historical buildings" and that "it's in our DNA."

The Daily Mail reported Tuesday that workers from his company are being questioned by investigators.

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As the probe into what happened continues, the Paris Fire Brigade shared dramatic footage of the roof of the cathedral engulfed in flames and billowing clouds of smoke. The incredible video also shows firemen and women racing into the burning building to save it from destruction.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. </s> French tycoon Bernard Arnault and his luxury goods group LVMH have pledged 200 million euros ($226 million) for the reconstruction of Notre Dame, following a reported 100 million-euro donation from another French billionaire, Francois Pinault.

A statement Tuesday from LVMH said the luxury goods group and the Arnault family would make the donation to a rebuilding fund for the cathedral, which was consumed by flames Monday evening.

LVMH called the cathedral a "symbol of France, its heritage and its unity."

Pinault made the pledge to AFP and wrote in a statement, "My father and I have decided to release as of now from the funds of Artemis a sum of 100 million euros to participate in the effort that will be necessary for the complete reconstruction of Notre Dame," Buzzfeed reported.

Pinault owns the company Kering, which own luxury fashion brands like Gucci and Saint Laurent, according to The Hill.

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François-Henri Pinault husband of Salma Hayek poses for photographers on the red carpet at the screening of the film Tale of Tales at the 68th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, Thursday, May 14, 2015.

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to rebuild the cathedral and says a national fundraising campaign to restore Notre Dame would be launched Tuesday.

The French leader says he is seeking international help to restore the Paris landmark and calls on the world’s “greatest talents” to help.

The catastrophic fire engulfed the upper reaches of Paris' soaring Notre Dame Cathedral as it was undergoing renovations, threatening one of the greatest architectural treasures of the Western world as tourists and Parisians looked on aghast from the streets below.

The blaze collapsed the cathedral's spire and spread to one of its landmark rectangular towers, but Paris fire chief Jean-Claude Gallet said the church's structure had been saved after firefighters managed to stop the fire spreading to the northern belfry.

The 12th-century cathedral is home to incalculable works of art and is one of the world's most famous tourist attractions, immortalized by Victor Hugo's 1831 novel "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

The Associated Press contributed to this story. </s> In a tweet this morning, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said the company would be donating to rebuilding efforts to restore Notre-Dame.

Cook’s commitment comes as French companies and private families have rallied to the cause of rebuilding the centuries-old cathedral (and international symbol of Paris and France), which was largely destroyed in a fire yesterday.

In all, companies like LVMH, which owns the luxury fashion brands Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Givenchy; Total, the French energy giant; and the billionaire owner of the luxury company, Kering, Francois Henri-Pinault, have committed $450 million to reconstruction efforts for the church.

Firefighters saved the iconic cathedral from total destruction after a fire broke out Monday evening, but not before the fire ravaged the 856-year-old building, destroying much of its roof and its main spire.

After eight hours, firefighters were able to control and then extinguish the blaze, saving its two rectangular towers that flank the main entrance to the church, and relics, including the Crown of Thorns, said to have been worn by Jesus Christ before the crucifixion.

Apple did not respond yet to a request for comment.

This is a developing story and we will update it as we get more details. </s> François-Henri Pinault — chairman and CEO of Kering, the French-based luxury group behind Gucci, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and other world-renowned brands — has pledged over $110 million towards the rebuilding of the Notre Dame cathedral.

Pinault, who is married to actress Salma Hayek, said in a statement that he plans to pay through his family’s investment firm, Artemis, for any work that needs to be done following Monday’s catastrophic fire, according to AFP.

The billionaire reportedly pledged 100 million euros, or $113 million. He hopes that the money will help church officials “completely rebuild Notre Dame.” French president Emmanuel Macron had vowed to do so earlier in the day.

“We will rebuild Notre Dame because it is what the French expect,” Macron said, calling it “the epicenter” of their lives.

“It is what our history deserves,” he added. “It is, in the deepest sense, our destiny.”
French President Emmanuel Macron pledges to rebuild the Cathedral after the fire.