A new promotion of the Legion of Honor and the National Order of Merit was announced in the Official Journal on January 1, 2021. Already a Knight of the Legion of Honor, the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, has been named an Officer.
In response to this promotion, Christian Estrosi stated: “I am naturally honored, but I am simply fulfilling my role with all my heart and energy.”
A total of 3,884 people, equally distributed between men and women, are honored in early 2021.
Specifically, 1,229 people are decorated with the Legion of Honor: 1,087 Knights, 111 Officers, 21 Commanders, 7 Grand Officers, and 3 Grand Crosses. Among them, 40 people who died from Covid-19 are posthumously named Knights, as permitted by the code of the Legion of Honor for individuals “killed in the line of duty.” In the National Order of Merit, 2,655 people are recognized, including 2,385 Knights, 225 Officers, 35 Commanders, 7 Grand Officers, and 3 Grand Crosses.
