Bulgaria's former prime minister, ex-king and leader of the centrist Simeon II National Movement Simeon Saxe-Coburg received yet another jewel in the crown of his achievements - France's most prestigious Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur.

The awarding ceremony took place at the Bulgarian Embassy in Paris Wednesday evening.

The award is one of the highest state honours that French President Jacques Chirac may confer on no more than seven persons a year.

"Your commitment throughout your brilliant career, your work for the European cause and for bringing Bulgaria closer to Europe," a letter by Catherine Colonna, France's minister delegate for European affairs, spells out the president's arguments for conferring the award on Simeon Saxe-Coburg.

The Legion d'honneur (officially Ordre national de la Legion d'honneur) is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the First Republic, on May 19, 1802. It is the premier order of France, and its award is therefore considered a great distinction. The order's motto is Honneur et patrie ("Honour and Motherland"), and its seat is the Palais de la Legion d'Honneur on the Left Bank of the River Seine in Paris.

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