The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, commonly known as the Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of a military, chivalric, and noble nature. Though it possesses no territory, the order is often considered a sovereign entity under international law.
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour of two military saints, Michael and George.
Andrew Willoughby Ninian Bertie was Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 1988 until his death in 2008.
The Polar Medal is a medal awarded by the Sovereign of the United Kingdom to individuals who have outstanding achievements in the field of polar research, and particularly for those who have worked over extended periods in harsh climates. It was instituted in 1857 as the Arctic Medal, and renamed the Polar Medal in 1904.
David Vines White is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Since 2021, he has served as Garter Principal King of Arms.
John Ballantyne CairnsKCVO KStJ is a retired minister of the Church of Scotland.
Sir James Hough is a British physicist and an international leader in the search for gravitational waves.
Sir John Miller Martin was a British civil servant who served as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, during World War II. The position is a public, rather than private post. He was present at the most important strategic conferences and was knighted in 1952.
Fra' Robert Matthew Festing GCStJ OBE TD DL was an English Roman Catholic official who was the Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 2008 until his resignation on 28 January 2017, following a dispute with the Vatican.
George William Vella is a Maltese politician who served as the 10th president of Malta from 2019 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he previously served as deputy prime minister of Malta and foreign affairs minister from 1996 to 1998 under prime minister Alfred Sant. In 2013, he returned as foreign affairs minister, an office he held until 2017 under prime minister Joseph Muscat.
Stephen Dudeney is a retired British firefighter. He was a senior officer in the London Fire Brigade.
The following is a comprehensive list of orders, decorations, and medals bestowed by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, both in the present-day and historically.
The Special Honours are issued at the Queen's pleasure at any given time. The Special Honours refer the award of the Order of the Garter, Order of the Thistle, Order of Merit, Royal Victorian Order and the Order of St John.
Brigadier-General Henry Clifford Rodes Green, was a senior British Army officer during the First World War.
Sir John Helier Le Rougetel was a British diplomat.
Colonel Henry Huntly Leith Malcolm was a Scottish officer in the British Army during the Anglo-Egyptian War and World War I.
Major–General Hugh Clement Sutton was a General in the British Army, Deputy Assistant Director of Railways in South Africa between 1900 and 1902 and Lieutenant-Governor and Secretary of Royal Chelsea Hospital between 1923 and 1928.
Mark Watson-Gandy, is a British lawyer and educationalist, specialising in UK insolvency law. He serves as Chairman of the Biometrics and Forensic Ethics Group, a position he has held since 2019.
Dominique, de La Rochefoucauld-Montbel, Officer of the Légion d’Honneur, member of the House of La Rochefoucauld and humanitarian diplomat. He was Grand Hospitaller and president of the French Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
