Arise, Captain Sir Tom!
Fundraising hero is knighted in ‘unique’ Windsor ceremony
Captain Tom Moore yesterday received his knighthood from the Queen in her first in-person official engagement since lockdown began.
The 100-year-old Second World War veteran attended a unique open-air ceremony at Windsor Castle to receive the honour.
The Queen, who has been staying at Windsor during the coronavirus pandemic, knighted Sir Tom using a sword that belonged to her father, King George VI.
The monarch’s arrival was announced by the sound of bagpipes played by the Queen’s Piper, Pipe Major
Richard Grisdale, of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
The decision to honour the veteran with a knighthood came after he raised almost £33m for NHS Charities Together by participating in a walking fundraiser in the lead-up to his 100th birthday.
The Queen hosted the informal ceremony yesterday and spent around five minutes chatting to Sir Tom. She told him: “Thank you so much, an amazing amount of money you raised.”
Sir Tom was joined by members of his family at the socially distanced ceremony, including his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore, son-in-law Colin Ingram, grandson Benjie and granddaughter Georgia.
The ceremony was held privately within the castle, with members of the public barred from viewing the proceedings.
While other investitures due to be held at Buckingham Palace in London and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in June and July were postponed, a special exception was made for Sir Tom.
Buckingham Palace believes it is the first time the “unique” format of the ceremony has taken place, amid the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic and Downing Street’s announcement of Sir Tom’s individual knighthood.
The royal family shared a photo of the Queen knighting Sir Tom on Twitter, alongside the caption: “Arise, Captain Sir Thomas Moore! Today The Queen conferred the Honour of Knighthood on @captaintommoore at an Investiture at #WindsorCastle.”
Speaking to BBC Breakfast ahead of the ceremony, Sir Tom’s daughter, Hannah, said: “It is just the most sensational day. Of all the things Tom has been honoured by, this is just truly the absolute icing on the cake.”
“This is, I believe, the first individual investiture,” she explained. “Protocol is being written as we speak and we will simply be doing as we are told.”
The veteran’s grandson Benjie added that it was a “really special day for the entire family”.
Speaking on the show, he said: “I just want to say thank you to absolutely everybody who has supported us.
“We would not be in this situation without everyone on the other side of the camera, so, from our family, thank you for putting us in this situation.”
Having initially set a target of raising £1,000, Sir Tom quickly became a household name across the nation after news of his fundraiser spread.
Following the announcement of his knighthood, Sir Tom said he was “looking forward” to being knighted by the Queen.
“I hope she’s not very heavy-handed with the sword as by then I might be rather a poor old weak soul,” he joked during an appearance on BBC Breakfast.
He also shared a post on his Twitter account, in which he said the ceremony would be “the most special of days”.
“I could never have imagined this would happen to me,” Sir Tom wrote. “It is such a huge honour and I am very much looking forward to meeting Her Majesty The Queen. It is going to be the most special of days for me.”
His words were followed with the hashtag #FridayWillBeAGoodDay.
News of Sir Tom’s knighthood comes after it was announced that he would be releasing an autobiography in support of his new charity, the Captain Tom Foundation.
The centenarian’s book is to be called Tomorrow Will Be A Good Day, a title which pays homage to the words he tweeted the day before his 100th birthday, which fell on 30 April.