The Queen, the President and the Légion d’Honneur
- Posted on 1st April, 08
- in General thoughts, News
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The night of the Eco-Island conference (Wednesday 26th March), I shot over to the mainland for a State Banquet at Windsor Castle with Her Majesty the Queen and her guests. It was in honour of French President Sarkozy’s visit to the UK and it was quite incredible to play a small part in it. The dinner at Windsor Castle was a grand affair, with some very interesting guests; it’s not every day that you pull up to the gates of Windsor Castle for dinner!
The following day was a busy one for me with preparations for being presented with the Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest decoration. I was receiving the award at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich in the Painted Hall which was an impressive place in itself. I was pretty nervous in the morning having the acceptance speech to give. It’s never easy speaking in front of people anyway, but when you are effectively addressing a nation which has been so kind to you, you want to get it right!
It was just fantastic to see so many friends and colleagues there. Even Mum and Dad made it down to London! Three of the young people from the Ellen MacArthur Trust were there, Sam Ledster, Maxine Duggins and Katie Schuster, who were all nervous like me before the arrival of President Sarkozy and his wife. They seemed to enjoy it though, and were certainly smiling in the photograph! We spent a few moments with the girls outside, then went inside the Painted Hall for the formal part of the ceremony. President Sarkozy gave his speech which was touching and reflective, he spoke of my many adventures in France, courage and determination. It was one of those strange moments in life when you are listening to something, but cannot accept that those words are meant for you. I felt a little bit like I was in a film set, and I was just an actor playing a part. I never have been very good at letting things sink in. Anyway, I did manage to do the speech, without my kneecaps shaking too much!
I finished with the following lines….
“I have been moved beyond words by the way in which the French people have taken me into their hearts and supported me in all my adventures.”
“Pour finir, un grand merci à la France pour toutes les opportunités et les amitiés qu’elle a su m’offrir.”
That kind of sums it up really…
Ellen
Editor’s Note: A video clip of speeches by President Sarkozy and Ellen will be online shortly.
Hi Ellen,
Congratulations with this incredible honour especially because it is presented to you, being a British girl, on behalf of the French people! It shows how special you are to so many people. There are not many important awards left that you haven’t received yet. I can only think of the Nobel Prize. So you can start preparing a speech for next year in Oslo.
Guido
Guido