Bernard Arnault received France’s highest civilian honour from President Emmanuel Macron at a ceremony on Wednesday evening that included VIPs such as Elon Musk and pop stars Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
The French businessman, founder of luxury conglomerate LVMH, received the Grand-Croix de la Legion d’Honneur at the Elysee Palace, according to a spokesman from Macron’s office. It’s the highest rank in a system of government recognition that dates back to Napoleon.
The ceremony was also attended by Arnault’s family members, artist Jeff Koons and French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, the spokesman said, confirming an earlier report by Politico Europe. A spokesman for Arnault declined to comment.
Last year, Macron handed Amazon founder Jeff Bezos a Legion d’Honneur award at a private ceremony, Bloomberg News reported. Arnault, Bezos and Musk are the world’s three wealthiest people, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
LVMH’s 75 luxury labels include Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior and Dom Perignon Champagne. Last week, the first lady Brigitte Macron attended the fashion show of Louis Vuitton’s womenswear designer Nicolas Ghesquière in Paris.
By Ania Nussbaum and Angelina Rascouet
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