Malta has, throughout its history, attracted visits by monarchs in between long intervals of their complete absence.

During the rule by the Order of St John, no sovereign had been invited or had requested to visit the islands, as had happened before and after: see Alfonso V of Spain, who visited the islands in 1432, and lived in Casa Inguanez in Mdina for three months, or King Ferdinand II of the Two Sicilies in 1844.

Cardinals are considered to be princes of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1913, Cardinal Domenico Ferrata visited Malta as the personal envoy of the Roman Pontiff to preside over the International Eucharistic Congress.

During the British colonial period, foreign royalty mainly came to Malta for two reasons: as honoured guests or as refugees after exile. The former Russian Czarina, Dowager Maria Feodorovna, had a taste of both – in 1909 on a pleasure cruise and in 1919 as a dejected exile. So did King Alphonse XIII of Spain: he paid a courtesy visit to Malta in 1927, only to return as an exile five years later after being dethroned.

Former empress of Russia Maria Feodorovna at San Anton Palace in 1909, with King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra.

King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II and Queen Elena in 1924 visited the Malta pavilion at the Wembley British Empire Exhibition.

King Alfonso XIII of Spain visited Malta twice, as a guest in 1927, and as an exile five years later after being dethroned.

This feature focuses on presences in the island of non-British sovereigns or members of their close families.

In the ‘exile’ category also fall the deposed sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet VI, the prince and princess of Capua, and Prince Alamayu, heir to the throne of the defeated emperor of Abyssinia.

Abyssinia Alamayu, crown Prince of Abyssinia, was brought to Malta in 1868 after his father was defeated by British forces and took his own life. Photo: Leandro Preziosi

Mehmet VI, detroned sultan of the Ottoman Empire, lands in Malta in 1922.

As priviledged guests, Malta also welcomed Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany on three occasions, in 1898, 1904 and 1908; Prince Hirohito, future emperor of Japan, and Ferdinando of Savoia, Prince of Udine – all three shortly later to become sworn enemies of Britain.

Ferdinando di Savoia-Genova, Prince of Udine, on a visit to Malta in 1929.

Hirohito, Crown Prince of Japan, later Emperor, visited Malta in 1921.

Visits by British monarchs and members of their immediate families were considerably more plentiful and turned into occasions of loyalty-building and of popular celebration. They may form the subject of a future feature.

Prince Carlo Ferdinando of Capua self-exiled to Malta in 1836 when his brother King Fredinand of the Two Sicilies refused to approve his marriage to a 20-year-old commoner, Penelope Smyth.

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All images from the author’s collections.