If I kneel now Ma’am, I’ll never get up again!
Hero Sir Tom’s quip as Queen knights him at Windsor in unique outdoor ceremony
HAVING conferred so many honours during her 68-year reign, it’s not often an investiture is as extraordinary for the Queen as it is for the recipient.
But it was a truly exceptional occasion for both parties yesterday – when Her Majesty knighted Captain Tom Moore in an outdoor, socially distanced ceremony at Windsor Castle.
The 94-year-old monarch arrived at her first face-to-face engagement since lockdown just hours after she attended the secret wedding of her granddaughter Princess Beatrice at a nearby chapel.
As for Sir Tom – who raised £33million for the NHS on a sponsored walk of his garden for his 100th birthday – he approached the occasion with the wit and good humour that once lifted the nation’s spirits, quipping: ‘If I get down on my knee, I’ll never get up. I thought maybe she’ll give me a hand, but that’s not according to the book.’
In the afternoon sunshine, Sir Tom stood supported by his frame on the grass of the castle’s quadrangle as the Queen touched him on each shoulder with the sword once belonging to her father King George VI.
After presenting him with the insignia of Knight Bachelor, Her Majesty spent five minutes chatting to the Second World War veteran and his family, praising him personally: ‘Thank you so much, an amazing amount of money you raised.’
The party then chatted about coronavirus, and Prince Philip asked: ‘Have you been shut up – been isolating?’ The Queen also mentioned Beatrice’s wedding, telling Sir Tom: ‘My granddaughter got married this morning. Both Philip and I managed to get there – very nice.’
Her Majesty was also overheard telling Sir Tom that ‘one hundred is a great age’, and he later recalled replying: ‘You’ve a long way to go yet.’ Sir Tom added: ‘I am absolutely overawed by the fact this is such a high award from Her Majesty as well. It’s been an absolutely magnificent day for me.’
Asked how it compared to the thrill of raising £33million, he said: ‘The money will be useful but there’s only one Queen. To get a message from the Queen, there’s no value that can be placed on that. To meet the Queen was more than anyone could expect. Never ever did I imagine that I should get so close to the Queen.’
Royal investitures were put on hold during the pandemic but the Queen, who has been staying at Windsor with Prince Philip, 99, made a special exception for Sir Tom.
The ceremony was held under strict social distancing rules with no viewing positions for the public and numbers limited. Buckingham Palace said it believes it is the first time this ‘unique’ format has taken place.
Sir Tom, dressed in his Yorkshire Regiment blazer and tie, wore his Second World War campaign medals including the Burma Star, his honorary Colonel’s medal from his old regiment – and a gold Blue Peter badge.
Sir Tom, whose wife Pamela died in 2006, was accompanied by daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore, her husband Colin and their children Georgia, 11, and Benjie, 16 – who he lives with in Bedfordshire. He thanked a group of well-wishers, who gathered outside the grounds despite warnings to stay away, as he was driven away.