Matthew Festing
Fra' Robert Matthew Festing OBE (30 November 1949 – 12 November 2021) was a British Roman Catholic layman, military officer, and art expert who served as the 79th Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from his election on 11 March 2008 until his resignation on 28 January 2017.[1][2] Born in Tarset, Northumberland, as the youngest son of Field Marshal Sir Francis Festing, he was educated at Ampleforth College and St John's College, Cambridge, before commissioning into the Grenadier Guards, where he served in Northern Ireland and Belize, attaining the rank of colonel in the Territorial Army and receiving the Officer of the Order of the British Empire for his service.[2][3] After military duty, Festing worked as a regional representative for Sotheby's auction house, specializing in fine arts, while deepening his commitment to the Order of Malta, to which he was admitted in 1977 and took solemn religious vows as a professed knight in 1999.[2] Festing's leadership emphasized the Order's dual sovereignty as a Catholic lay religious order and its humanitarian mandate, overseeing expansions in global aid projects, medical assistance, and pilgrimages such as the 50th annual Lourdes pilgrimage during his tenure.[4][5] His grand mastership concluded amid an internal crisis precipitated by the revelation that the Order's humanitarian arm, under then-Grand Chancellor Albrecht von Boeselager, had distributed contraceptives in aid programs, contravening Catholic moral teaching; Festing dismissed Boeselager to uphold doctrinal fidelity, but papal intervention demanding reinstatement without probing the underlying ethical breach led to Vatican pressure for his own resignation, highlighting tensions over the Order's autonomy and adherence to traditional Church principles.[6][7][8] Festing died in Valletta, Malta, shortly after attending a solemn profession ceremony, and was buried in the Order's crypt at Saint John's Co-Cathedral following a state funeral.[2][9]Early Life
Family and Ancestry
Robert Matthew Festing was born on 30 November 1949 in Tarset, Northumberland, England, as the youngest of four sons to Field Marshal Sir Francis Wogan Festing and Mary Elizabeth Riddell.[3][10] His father, born in Dublin in 1902, served as Chief of the Imperial General Staff and converted to Roman Catholicism, influencing the family's religious commitment.[11][12] Sir Francis was the grandson of Colonel Sir Francis Wogan Festing, tracing paternal lineage to military traditions in the British Army.[13] Festing's mother hailed from the Riddell family, longstanding English recusants who preserved Catholicism amid historical persecution.[12][14] Her ancestry included descent from the Throckmorton baronets, another recusant line, and notably from Blessed Sir Adrian Fortescue, a 16th-century English Knight of Malta executed for his faith in 1539.[13][15] Multiple relatives on both sides held membership in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, embedding chivalric and Catholic heritage in the family.[14] Among his siblings, Festing's brother Andrew Festing pursued a career as a portrait painter.[12] The family's early relocations, including to Egypt and Singapore due to Sir Francis's postings, exposed Festing to diverse environments from childhood.[16][17]Education
Festing received his secondary education at Ampleforth College, a Catholic boarding school located in North Yorkshire, England.[3][11] He later attended St John's College, Cambridge, where he studied history.[2]Pre-Order Career
Military Service
Following his graduation from St John's College, Cambridge, Festing was commissioned into the Grenadier Guards of the British Army.[18] He served in the regiment during the early 1970s, including deployments to Northern Ireland and Belize.[18][19] Festing later held the rank of colonel in the Territorial Army, for which he received the Territorial Decoration in recognition of long service.[20][2] He also served as County Commandant of the Northumberland Army Cadet Force.[20] In 1998, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his military and public services.[12]