The Most Distinguished Order of St Micheal and St George was funded in 1818 in Malta and Corfu. The year 2018 marks the Order’s bicentennial year. It was founded on the recommendation of Sir Thomas Maitland (at the time the Governor of Malta and High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands) to reward distinguished Maltese and Ionians for their services. British officers with close connections with the Mediterranean were also eligible for membership. The present President of Malta and the Prime Minister are honorary senior members of the Order, as was recently Dr Guido de Marco.

A group of about 42 members of the Order will be visiting Malta in early November as part of the Order’s celebrations.

Members of the Order have financed the Heritage Malta restoration of the two large oil paintings of St Michael and St George painted by the Maltese artist Pietro Paolo Caruana, which were commissioned by Sir Thomas Maitland. The paintings will be unveiled and rehung in the Palace during the visit of the members of Order in November.

The exhibition of the links between the Order and Malta will be held at the Malta Postal Museum in Archbishop Street in Valletta from the 7th of November until the 6th of December 2018. The exhibition will be open to the public.

The visit will constitute a number of other events, such as a wreath laying ceremony at Sir Thomas Maitland’s tomb at the Upper Barakka Gardens in Valletta.