Emmanuel Macron pleaded with Donald Trump to attend the grand re-opening of Notre Dame in a long phone call, it has emerged.

French President Emmanuel Macron has told workers who revived Paris' iconic, fire-ravaged Notre Dame cathedral, that they "achieved what was thought impossible."

Macron was welcomed inside by the chief architect of France’s national monuments, shown sacred objects that survived the fire and given explanations of how areas such as the roof and window were remade. The BBC’s Paris Correspondent wrote that it had been a “spectacular experience.”