Scott Thomas and Dusautoir honoured

Actress and French rugby captain are named in Bastille Day list for the Légion d'Honneur

ACTRESS Kristin Scott Thomas, French rugby captain Thierry Dusautoir and ecologist Nicolas Hulot have been honoured in the Bastille Day promotion of the Légion d'Honneur.

There are 544 names on the list nominated by President Hollande.

Kristin Scott Thomas, who is playing Queen Elizabeth in the London West End play The Audience, was promoted from Chevalier to Officier and Thierry Dusautoir was made a Chevalier.

Environmental campaigner Nicolas Hulot, Mr Hollande’s special envoy for the protection of the planet, has been promoted to Commandeur just months before Paris hosts the COP 21 environmental conference.

The leading honour of Grand Croix has been awarded to 84-year-old former Socialist Prime Minister Michel Rocard, who served under President Mitterrand, and to 91-year-old mathematician Yvonne Choquet-Bruhat, the first woman to be elected to the Académie des Sciences.

Elsewhere, composer Charles Dumont who wrote for Edith Piaf is made an Officier and Opéra de Paris star ballet dancer Aurélie Dupont has become a Chevalier.

Two Britons join Kristin Scott Thomas on the list, with Airbus chief operating officer Tom Williams and maritime risk management specialist Alan Morley McLean being made Chevalier.

The audience sang Happy Birthday to the Queen last night as @K_ScottThomas previewed in #TheAudience @ApollioTheatre pic.twitter.com/5YS1JYI4wJ— Arabella Dorman (@arabelladorman) April 22, 2015
Thierry Dusautoir : « On est entré très vite dans le vif du sujet » http://t.co/JE9TRr7N9H pic.twitter.com/TWUDjYKVsQ— France Rugby (@NationRugby) July 9, 2015

Thierry Dusautoir was brought up playing rugby in Trélissac and Périgueux in Dordogne and you can see him in action in this YouTube film – and discover why he is named the Dark Destroyer about 25 seconds in...