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French President Emmanuel Macron awarded billionaire Bernard Arnault with France’s highest honor during a star-studded ceremony Wednesday night at the Elysée Palace, according to several people who were at the event.
Dozens of A-listers were in Paris to honor the LVMH boss and richest man in the world as he received the Grand Cross of the Légion d’honneur — France’s highest order of merit, which can only be held by 75 people at the same time.
Macron gave a “very Proustian” speech on the theme of time, according to a person close to the president, explaining how Arnault has been able to “see and build far ahead,” “tame the jolts of the short term” to “sell a form of eternal Frenchness.”
The head of state also spoke of the “deep roots” of the LVMH CEO, a native of Roubaix in the north of France, and his commitment to, among other things, the reconstruction of Notre-Dame.
Several top French political figures attended the ceremony, including former President Nicolas Sarkozy, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin and Culture Minister Rachida Dati.
The event also attracted A-listers from all over the world, including Beyoncé and Jay-Z, Elon Musk, Queen Rania of Jordan, visual artist Jeff Koons, pianist Lang Lang, and billionaires Vincent Bolloré of Bolloré Group and Rodolphe Saadé of CMA CGM.
Musk, who is the third richest man on the planet according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, took the opportunity to have a one-on-one meeting with Macron on “attractiveness and investments.”
Arnault, who recently regained his title as the world’s richest man, received the honor 13 years after being promoted to grand officer by former President François Hollande, and 28 years after being knighted.
