On 10 September 2026, the Grand Master of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George, HRH Prince Pedro of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Duke of Calabria and Head of the Royal House of the Two Sicilies, travelled from Spain to New York City to attend various Constantinian events.

On the evening of Thursday, 10 September, His Royal Highness, accompanied by Constantinian Vice Grand Chancellor Sainty and Constantinian American Commission President Horan, had dinner with two officials from the Order of Malta:  Ambassador Peter McGuire, Regent of the Order of Malta’s Subpriory of Our Lady of Lourdes, and Ambassador Paul Beresford-Hill (Knight Grand Cross of the Constantinian Order), Permanent Representative of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the United Nations in New York.  There was a discussion of how the Order of Malta might assist in ensuring that funds raised by the Duke of Calabria and the Constantinian Order for earthquake victims in Venezuela reach those most in need.

On the morning of Friday, 11 September, His Royal Highness was given a tour of the Hispanic Society of America by its Director and CEO, Mr Guillaume Kientz.  He was accompanied by Vice Grand Chancellor Sainty, President Horan, and Colonel Edward Jeep.  After the tour, Mr. Kientz joined the Grand Master and his party for lunch, as did Father Richard Mullins, principal chaplain of the Constantinian Order’s American Commission.

On Friday evening, 11 September, Vice Grand Chancellor Guy Stair Sainty hosted a dinner party at The Brook, a private club on East 54th Street.  In addition to the Grand Master, Vice Grand Chancellor Sainty, and President Horan, it was attended by various officers of the Constantinian Order’s American Commission, including Father Richard Mullins, Principal Chaplain; Colonel Michael Andriani, President Emeritus; Dr. John M. Haas, Vice President and President Emeritus of the National Catholic Bioethics Center; Mr. Osvaldo Marcenaro y Aguirre, Chancellor Emeritus and Special Advisor; Mr. Jeffrey Bedia, Secretary; Colonel Edward Jeep, Treasurer; and Mr. Michael Andriani III, Assistant Secretary.  Other Constantinian knights present were Ambassador Paul Beresford-Hill, Permanent Representative of the Sovereign Order of Malta to the United Nations in New York; Mr. Michael La Civita, Lieutenant of the Eastern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre;  Attorney Raul Vidal, Chancellor of the Constantinian Order’s Royal Commission for the Antilles; Dr. Michael Espiritu, Counsellor at the Order of Malta’s Permanent Observer Mission at the United Nations; and Attorney Paul Klimos.

During the dinner, His Royal Highness spoke movingly about the legacy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and their effect on the entire civilized world.  He asked for prayers for the victims of the attacks and their families.  11 September 2026 marked the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

On the afternoon of Saturday, 12 September, His Royal Highness went to Saint Vincent Ferrer Church in Manhattan to preside at the investiture of new chaplains, knights and dames.  The investiture Mass was celebrated by His Excellency the Most Reverend Timothy Broglio, Archbishop for the Military Services, USA and Patron of the Constantinian Order’s American Commission.  Archbishop Broglio was also the homilist.

The following 22 knights, chaplains and dames were invested:

        • Monsignor Joseph J. Nicolo
        • Father Thomas O’Donald
        • Father David Yallaly, SJC
        • Rev. Deacon John Heyer, II
        • Rory Capra
        • Peter Clemente
        • Michael Cozzi
        • Alan Crone
        • Thomas D’Auria
        • Lt. Col. Michael Donegan, USA (Retired)
        • Lt Col. Indira Donegan, USA (Retired)
        • Joseph Falce
        • Pedro Izquierdo Franco
        • Dr. Florian Huber
        • Christopher Lacaria
        • Andrew Love
        • Josephine Marchetta
        • Attorney John McInerney, III
        • Asher McInerney
        • Thomas Neeck
        • Timothy Nerozzi
        • Gregory Pang
        • John Walter

Attorney John McInerney is President Emeritus of Malteser International Americas.  Messrs. Capra and D’Auria and Miss Marchetta are members of the Board of Councillors of the Eastern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.  Mr. Pang is Minister-Counsellor at the Sovereign Order of Malta’s Mission to the United Nations.  Deacon Heyer is Executive Director of the Eastern Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre.

At the investiture, President Emeritus Michael Andriani, Knight Grand Cross of Jure Sanguinis, was awarded the gold breast star.

On the evening of Saturday, 12 September, a gala dinner was held at the Columbus Citizens Foundation, off Fifth Avenue.  85 members and friends of the Constantinian Order attended.  Archbishop Broglio gave the invocation at the beginning of the meal, and Father Mullins gave the benediction at the end.

Here is a portion of the remarks that His Royal Highness delivered at the dinner:

Your Excellency Archbishop Broglio, members and friends of our beloved Constantinian Order:

As Grand Master, I first want to welcome to our Order the knights and dames who were invested today.  May your new role in our Order strengthen your Faith and deepen your commitment to our Holy Mother Church.

I wish also to thank His Excellency Archbishop Timothy Broglio for his strong support of the American Commission of our beloved Order.

In this anniversary year for your country, 250 years since your Declaration of Independence, I want to mention that I have always had a strong interest in the United States.  I spent a year of high school in North Carolina.  My Bourbon ancestor King Carlos III of Spain, formerly King of the Two Sicilies, played a very important role in assisting the thirteen Colonies in their war of independence.  His cousin King Louis XVI of France, head of the House of Bourbon, also played an enormous part in securing American independence.  The role of France in helping the Americans to win their independence is of course very well known, but in recent years increasing attention has been given to Spain’s role.  This subject interests me very much.  

After I became Grand Master of the Constantinian Order, I was pleased in 2017 to hold our first investiture in the United States.  Today was our fifth investiture here.  The Constantinian Order is not a European order, as some people think.  It is an international Catholic order of chivalry, and it goes where the Church goes.

It is a great pleasure for me to be with you in New York City this weekend.

To everyone here this evening  —those who are new members of the Order, those who are already members of the Order, those who are friends of the Order— I convey to you my confraternal best wishes.  I look forward as Grand Master to collaborating with you in the years ahead as our beloved Order continues to deepen its roots in North America.  

May your work for the Constantinian Order in the years ahead serve our Church and strengthen our Order!

The after dinner speaker was author and historian Guy Stair Sainty, Vice Grand Chancellor of the Order.  He spoke about the history of the Constantinian Order and explained its special status as an order of chivalry of the Catholic Church, governed by canon law, not a dynastic order of chivalry of the House of Bourbon of the Two Sicilies.

On Sunday, 13 September, the Grand Master, accompanied by Judge Horan and Colonel Jeep, attended Mass at Saint Peter’s Church in Lower Manhattan.  After Mass, he visited the nearby Catholic 9/11 Memorial.  He then travelled to the airport for his return flight to Spain.

THE INVESTITURE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE GALA DINNER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DINNER ON THURSDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 2026

 

From left to right:  Ambassador Beresford-Hill, Judge Horan, Vice Grand Chancellor Sainty, HRH the Grand Master, and Ambassador McGuire

(Special thanks to Father Richard Mullins and Jeffrey Bedia for the planning and organization of the investiture ceremony and Mass. Thanks too to Father Peter Martyr Yungwirth, O.P., Pastor of Saint Vincent Ferrer Church, and to Mr. James D. Wetzel, Director of Music and Organist of Saint Vincent Ferrer Parish.)

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE GOSS