Stéphane Bern is the author of several books including The Best Loved Villages of France; Luxembourg: History, Landscape, and Traditions; and Highland Living: Landscape, Style, and Traditions of Scotland. A specialist on nobility and royalty, he has received the Order of the British Empire, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and the Order of Grimaldi. Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, founded in 1982, protects and promotes the heritage of villages rigorously selected for their patrimonial wealth and architectural quality. It pioneered an international federation of The Most Beautiful Villages in the World, committed to sustainable development and the preservation of historical and cultural heritage in Belgium, Quebec, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, Russia, Lebanon, and China.