Simon Caldwell meets the ruffled order’s new Grand Hospitaller keen to build on its legacy.

In June last year, Pope Francis seized control of the Sovereign Order of Malta in what was effectively a coup. Frustrated that his reforms had reached an impasse amid resistance from knights who feared the Vatican would strip the 900-year-old order of its sovereignty, the Pontiff took the reins of power fully from the moment Fra’ Marco Luzzago, the Lieutenant of the Grand Master, died unexpectedly that same month.