Edouard Philippe was elevated Tuesday to the dignity of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor by Emmanuel Macron, a tradition but also a political gesture a year after the departure of the former Prime Minister.

This decoration delivery, organized at midday at the Elysee Palace, brought together around forty guests, according to several participants.

"Family and simple", it "took place in an atmosphere of complicity" in the presence of the wife, three children and mother of Edouard Philippe, explained a guest to AFP.

Edouard Philippe's “flexible rigor” hailed

Almost a year after leaving Matignon, Edouard Philippe heard Emmanuel Macron sing his praises, thanking him for "his fidelity and loyalty", praising "his love of nuance" but also, in a curious oxymoron, "his supple rigor" .

"The president underlined that Edward was a lover of the State" and that "this lover of the State will have to serve the State again", said the same guest.

The hour-long ceremony then continued in a smaller committee around a lunch, bringing together Emmanuel Macron, his wife and the family of Edouard Philippe.

Several times postponed due to the epidemic, this ceremony was also expected to show the good relations between the two men a few days before the first round of the regional elections.

Juppé, Darmanin or even Véran present

Defining himself as both “free and loyal”, Edouard Philippe, whose popularity rating is still at its peak, actively maintains his network.

As such, the guest list is not trivial, mixing historical political friendships (former Prime Minister Alain Juppé, MEP Gilles Boyer, current members of the government Gérald Darmanin, Sébastien Lecornu, MP Thierry Solère ... ), mayors to whom he is close, such as that of Valenciennes (Laurent Degallaix), Toulon (Hubert Falco), Angers (Christophe Béchu) and Trèbes (Eric Menassi), but also more recent meetings, such as ministers Olivier Dussopt, Olivier Véran, Marc Fesneau, President of the Assembly Richard Ferrand or the former spokesperson Sibeth Ndiaye.

Since 2008, former Prime Ministers have automatically been elevated to the rank of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor if they have spent more than two years at Matignon.

Edouard Philippe stayed there for a little over three years, from May 15, 2017 to July 3, 2020, ousted by the head of state who replaced him by Jean Castex.

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  • Emmanuel Macron

  • Edouard Philippe