We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

Legion of Honour, otherwise known as the Legion d’honneur award, is a merit which will soon belong to London, as French President Emmanuel Macron touches down in the UK today. The President is the first foreign leader to enter the country since lockdown began, and aside from passing on the honour, will talk with officials about incoming coronavirus measures.

What is the Legion of Honour?

The Legion d’honneur is a centuries-old order of merit for military and civil personnel in France.

French statesman Napoleon Bonaparte established the award in 1802, and it has continued through successive republics.

The order is world-renowned and the highest decoration awarded by French officials.

READ MORE

• Eiffel Tower in Paris due to reopen – but visitors need to walk up

The Legion d’honneur splits into the following five categories:

Dignities

• Grand-Croix (Grand Cross)
• Grand Officier (Grand Officer)

Ranks

• Commandeur (Commander)
• Officier (Officer)
• Chevalier (Knight)

The royal order of the Kings which preceded the Legion d’honneur disbanded with the French Revolution.

Napoleon felt the need to keep an award for both military and civilian high achievers and honours a vast range of services to the country.

Both domestic and foreign contributions may receive one, with recipients ranging from Iranian scientists Mahmoud Hesabi to Bono.

The most recent recipient will be London, as both the UK and France hope to cement post-Brexit ties.

DON’T MISS
How Emmanuel Macron’s party ‘mobilised against Angela Merkel’ – ANALYSIS
Coronavirus app warning: StopCovid collects data of ANYONE near user – INSIGHT
France flights schedule: Which airlines fly to France from UK? – EXPLAINER

READ MORE

• Michel Barnier’s fury at EU meddling in French politics exposed

June 18, 2020, marks the 80th anniversary of Charles De Gaulle’s celebrated appeal to French citizens in Nazi-occupied 1940’s France.

From his perch in the city, he and the remnants of the French Army called on citizens to resist Adolf Hitler’s hold on the country as they awaited US and British aid.

The former President of France returned to the country during D-Day and was awarded the officer rank within the Legion d’honneur in 1945.

Emmanuel Macron will honour London’s part in allowing Mr De Gaulle to issue his plea.

Speaking via an open letter published in the Times of London earlier this year, he said he wanted to commend the “immense courage” of the UK.

He wrote: “Dear British friends, you are leaving the European Union but you are not leaving Europe.

“The French know what they owe the British, who allowed our Republic to live.

“I am coming to London in June to award the city the Legion d’Honneur, in tribute to the immense courage of a whole country and people.”

Source: Read Full Article