Philipp Crowther, who has helped put Luxembourg on the map with his multilingual reporting from all over the world and more recently, especially Ukraine, was made an officer of the Luxembourg order of merit in the national day honours list on Thursday.
Crowther told Delano that he was proud to receive the honour. “It gives me plenty of energy to keep representing journalism and Luxembourg on the world stage,” he said. The journalist, a , says it was the first time he had met Grand Duke Henri. “His words to me on stage, that he and the country were proud of me, felt sincere to me. That meant a lot,” Crowther added.
Crowther also had special acknowledgment for fellow recipients Ibrahim Ajdarpasic and Fernand Collet, who were given medals of honour for courage for helping a man who had self-immolated at the Hamilius centre in February. “My honour pales in comparison to what the lifesavers were recognised for. I’m proud to have shared the stage with them,” Crowther said.
Indeed, meeting hundreds of people and receiving their well-wishes after the ceremony was particularly memorable for Crowther. “Most importantly, my parents were in attendance. That’s what really matters.”
Other awards handed out by Grand Duke Henri and prime minister Xavier Bettel at the Philharmonie ceremony on Thursday went to former president of Asti Laura Zuccoli, writer and winner of the prix Servais Guy Helminger, table-tennis players Ni Xia Lian and Sarah De Nutte, who won bronze at the world championships in Houston in November 2021, and celebrity chef Léa Linster, who was the first woman ever to win the prestigious Bocuse d’Or in 1989.