London, November 2015. At a reception held at the historic Armourers’ Hall in London, the Delegate for Great Britain and Ireland, HE Anthony Bailey, OBE, hosted a investiture ceremony during which The Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes CH was invested as a Knight Grand Cross of Merit of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George.
Lord Patten has held several important posts including European Commissioner for External Affairs, Governor of Hong Kong, Chairman of the BBC Trust and his current role as Chancellor of the University of Oxford. Lord Patten continues to play a prominent role in Vatican and Catholic affairs at home and abroad and was instrumental in the successful Papal Visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK in 2010. He was decreed into the Constantinian Order in 2014.
During the ceremony, the Delegate Anthony Bailey said: “Your contribution in representing and promoting the Catholic values in the United Kingdom and abroad, your tireless efforts in promoting the human rights and education, are among the reasons for which the Grand Master accepted the proposal of this delegation to grant you this high honour. It is therefore my honour in the name of His Royal Highness and His Eminence to invite you to receive from our Prior, His Eminence Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, this miniature, rosette and diploma of a Knight Grand Cross of Merit of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St George.”
Click here to read the speech of the Delegate.
Lord Patten replied that he was honoured to become a member of such a distinguished and historic Order noting its many worthy members especially in Britain and Ireland, its commitment to charitable and inter-religious endeavour.
Present during the ceremony were Her Majesty’s Governor General of Grenada, HE Dame Cécile La Grenade, GCMG, OBE, GCCO, the Prior of the British & Irish Delegation of the Constantinian Order, His Eminence Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, GCJCO, STL, PhL, The Rt Hon Lord Murphy of Torfaen, Vice-Delegate for Wales, The Hon Sir Peter Caruana, Vice-Delegate of Gibraltar and His Excellency Archbishop Antonio Mennini, Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St James’s.
Among Council members and Delegation Chaplains present were The Rev Canon Christopher Tuckwell, Administrator of Westminster Cathedral, The Rev Msgr Vincent Brady, Private Secretary to HE The Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St James’s, The Rev Fr Michael Seed, SA, Mr John Kennedy, CBE, Mr Andrew Rogers, Mr Richard Model, Mr John McIntosh, CBE and Mr Kevin Grant.
Among the other dignitaries who attended the ceremony were Their Excellencies The High Commissioners of Grenada and Trinidad & Tobago, Their Excellencies The Ambassadors to the Court of St James’s of the Slovak Republic, Kosovo and Venezuela, Her Serene Highness Princess Marie-Therese von Hohenberg Mrs Bailey, The Baroness Howells of St David’s, OBE, Mr & Mrs Steven Wilkinson, Mr & Mrs Christian Sweeting, Major General Jonathan Hall, HE Mr Guy Stair Sainty, Commander Andrew Wallis, Assistant Superintendent of Police Mr Leroy Langaigne, Aide-de-Camp to HE The Governor General of Grenada, CPL Detective Mr Lindon McIntyre, Mrs Dana Reháková, Alderman and Mrs John Garbutt, Monsignor Roger Reader, Professor Dr Peter Loew, Ms Clara Loidl, Mr Jörg Rieker, Ms Mara Zarges, Colonel Enno Bernzen, Mrs Claudia Bernzen, Judge Patrick Durcan, Mrs Patrick Durcan, Mr Patrick D S Durcan, Mr & Mrs Joseph Byllam Barnes, Mrs Ann Willis, Mr Michael Harrington, Dr Nicola Pedroni, Mr Stephen Hart, Professor Sarah Rogers, Mr Paul Herriott, Dr Jordan Lancaster, Mr Yosvani Ortega Faure, Mr James Drabble, Mrs Elizabeth Thornborough, Mr and Mrs Colm Flood, Mr & Mrs Paul Foster, Mr Robert Luck, Father Hugh Logan, Mr Patrick Newman, Mr & Mrs Renard Sylvester, Mr & Mrs Desmond Sylvester, Mr & Mrs Dexter Charles, Mr & Mrs Wayne Hector, Mrs Herle Vector, Dr Xhoana Papakostandini, Ms Alexandra Graff and Mr Talat Gokdemir.