His Royal Highness Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy presented Fra’ John Dunlap, Prince and 81st Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, with the Collar of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation. The presentation ceremony took place in Rome at the Magistral Palace on 27 September.

“My father, Vittorio Emanuele, granted me the privilege of welcoming Your Most Eminent Highness into the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, by admitting you among the Knights of this ancient and historic Order,” Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy stated in his address.

“The mandate entrusted to me,” he continued, “also conveys Prince Vittorio Emanuele’s fraternal greetings to Your Most Eminent Highness, in remembrance of the historic and cordial relationship that has always existed between the House of Savoy and the Order of Malta. In addition to the personal relations between the Royal House of Savoy, the Grand Masters and the Grand Magistry, this relationship has witnessed significant moments both in times of peace and in times of war. When King Umberto II and Queen Maria José were forced to leave Italy, they received full diplomatic support from the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. This is something that my father, my family and I will always cherish in our memory.”

For his part, the Grand Master recalled “the ancient bonds of friendship that unite the Order of Malta and the Royal House of Savoy” and expressed his confidence that “the already excellent relations between our two Orders will be further strengthened in the future, in the spirit of our shared ideals.”

During the same ceremony, the Grand Master presented Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, a member of the Order of Malta since 1997, with the insignia of Knight Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion. He also admitted Princess Clotilde of Savoy into the Order of Malta.