install the skyscraper's upper spire. The spire was pre-fabricated and pre-assembled based upon 3D models, and underwent a "test run" in Yorkshire before being lifted onto the building itself. By late December 2011, the Shard had become the tallest building in the European Union, superseding the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt, Germany. The Shard's steel structure was topped out on 30 March 2012, when its , 500-tonne spire was winched into place. The steel structure thus reached a height of . The final 516 panes of glass were added shortly after, topping the tower out at its full height of . The Shard was inaugurated on 5 July 2012 by the Prime Minister of Qatar, Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, in a ceremony attended by Prince Andrew, Duke of York. Practical completion of the building was achieved in November 2012. Gallery Height Standing at its highest point, and at the highest point of its steelwork, The Shard became the tallest building in the European Union in December 2011, and the tallest completed building in Europe on 30 March 2012. It is taller than Frankfurt's Commerzbank Tower at the record holder between 1997 and 2005 and three later skyscrapers of Moscow: the Triumph-Palace, Naberezhnaya Tower, and City of Capitals. These three had each held the title for roughly years. The Shard was overtaken by a fourth such tower in November 2012: the Mercury City Tower. The Shard was surpassed as the tallest European building outside Russia by the 310-metre (1,017 ft) Varso Tower, Warsaw, Poland in February 2021. The Shard is the second-tallest free-standing structure in the United Kingdom, after the concrete transmission tower at Emley Moor. Another planned London skyscraper, the Pinnacle (now replaced by 22 Bishopsgate), was originally proposed to rival the height of The Shard, but was reduced to a height of because of concerns from the Civil Aviation Authority. It is taller than all of the natural peaks in London and in adjoining counties, the highest of which is Walbury Hill, close to Wiltshire. Tenants The Shard comprises a 26-floor office complex, occupied by 32 companies across 10 business sectors, 3 restaurants—Aqua Shard, Oblix, and Hutong—the five-star Shangri-La The Shard, London hotel, 10 residential apartments, and the UK's highest viewing gallery, The View from The Shard. In February 2013, The Sunday Times reported that the developers of The Shard were in negotiations to secure the first