PARIS: President Nicolas Sarkozy awarded Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), with the ‘President of France Medal’ during the prince’s recent visit to Paris.
The French president and First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy also hosted a private luncheon for Prince Alwaleed and his spouse Princess Ameerah Altaweel at the Elysee Palace.
During the luncheon, Prince Alwaleed thanked the president for his invitation and their discussions touched upon the strong bond of friendship between Saudi Arabia and France and the bilateral relations between the two countries.
The official ceremony held in July 2008 when the French president and the prince laid the cornerstone of the new Islamic Arts wing at the Musée du Louvre in Paris also figured in the discussion. In 2005 Prince Alwaleed funded the creation of an exhibition space for the Islamic Arts at the Musée du Louvre with a contribution worth $20 million.
In the same year, Prince Alwaleed hosted a luncheon in honor of President Sarkozy at the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris and a private meeting was held with the French president at the Élysée Palace earlier that year.
In 2006, Prince Alwaleed was bestowed the medal of “Legion of Honor,” with the rank of Commander by the former French President, Jacques Chirac, during an official ceremony held at the Élysée Palace.
The medal is the country’s highest civilian honor, and it was bestowed to the Prince in recognition of his role in strengthening Saudi-French cultural, business and economic relations. In 2007, the prince was awarded the “Golden” medal by the French Minister of Culture and Communication, Christine Albanel.
