A STAR FOR STELLA: It was a family affair on Thursday night at the Élysée Palace in Paris, where President Emanuel Macron decorated Stella McCartney as a Knight of the Legion of honor.

Macron pinned a red ribbon and green and white medallion to the front of McCartney’s dark blue, faux fur-trimmed skirt suit, in the presence of her father Sir Paul McCartney, husband Alasdhair Willis, sister Mary, brother James and the designer’s two youngest children.    

The French president spoke at length about McCartney’s fashion career, her efforts in sustainability, environmental conservation and animal rights, as well as her dedication to her family. He praised the “shared values” between McCartney and France. “You love France and our country loves you back,” Macron said.

He even joked that the honor was truly “limited-edition.” The Legion of Honor is the most prestigious French national order of merit, and was originally established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte.

McCartney received the honor the day after her fall 2026 show in Paris. Guests at the Élysée Palace reception included Macron’s wife Brigitte Macron, Antoine Arnault, his wife Natalia Vodianova and sister Delphine Arnault. Oprah Winfrey, Gayle King, Bianca Jagger and Naomi Watts also attended.

McCartney was a little jittery before the ceremony, cracking jokes, offering to get people canapés and trying, at one point, to get everyone to sing “All You Need Is Love,” which starts with a few bars of La Marseillaise.

After the ceremony, McCartney said she was happy her father and her siblings could be there.

“I looked over to dad, and I suddenly realized that my husband and children have seen me get my other honors in England, but my father never managed to. It was also incredible to have it in a private room and have [the president] make a lengthy speech. The queen didn’t talk. She just said: ‘Nice to meet you,’ and then you kind of back off [backward] and hope you don’t fall over. It’s incredibly different,” she said.

In 2022 McCartney was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE. She received her OBE, or Order of the British Empire award, from the queen in 2013.

It’s been a big year so far for McCartney. Last month, she was named an ambassador of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, which was set up by King Charles to encourage world leaders and chief executive officers of private companies to put sustainability at the heart of global value creation.

“The Sustainable Markets Initiative is an organization I have proudly supported since its inception in 2020, and I am so grateful to His Majesty for this recognition. For me, the most important thing about the SMI is that its focus goes beyond discussion to driving action,” said McCartney.