Michelle Obama was spotted on an idyllic dinner cruise in Paris when she and the other guests learned that the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral had gone up in flames.
The former first lady boarded the boat with her fellow passengers just across from the Eiffel Tower on Monday evening and set off along the Seine River.
Mrs Obama was pictured smiling and sipping wine as she mingled with other guests on the roof of the luxury boat as they cruised past the iconic monuments of Paris.
But their mood changed considerably soon after when news filtered through that the nearby 800-year-old cathedral was on fire.
At one point, Mrs Obama was pictured staring intently at a fellow passenger's phone with an increasingly concerned look on her face.
Michelle Obama was spotted on an idyllic dinner cruise in Paris on Monday night when she and the other guests learned that the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral had gone up in flames
The mood of passengers changed when news of the fire at Notre Dame filtered through. At one point during the cruise, Mrs Obama stared intently at a fellow passenger's phone
Plumes of smoke quickly billowed from the cathedral and could be seen across much of Paris after the fire broke out at about 6.30pm
The fire broke out at about 6.30pm when Notre Dame had closed to the public for the evening.
Plumes of smoke quickly billowed from the cathedral and could be seen across much of Paris.
As the fire unfolded, the captain of the boat opted to tweak the route of the cruise.
The dinner, prepared by famous French-born chef Alain Ducasse, went ahead as planned.
Mrs Obama, who was in Paris for her Becoming book tour, later took to social media to say her 'heart aches with the people of France'.
She shared an old photo on Instagram of herself, her husband Barack and their two daughters lighting candles in the cathedral.
The former first lady was cheerful when she greeted the captain as she boarded the boat just across from the Eiffel Tower on Monday evening
She was pictured sipping wine on the roof of the luxury boat as they cruised past the iconic monuments of Paris
Mrs Obama was pictured smiling and sipping wine as she mingled with other guests on the Ducasse du Seine luxury cruise
Mrs Obama was in Paris to promote her new memoir Becoming
'I will never forget the first time I walked into the Notre Dame Cathedral. I was a
