Lockdown’s fundraising hero, Captain Sir Tom Moore, has said being knighted by the Queen will be ‘the most special of days for me’.
The 100-year old Second World War veteran is set to travel to Windsor Castle today with his family for the unprecedented occasion.
Captain Sir Tom raised just shy of £33 million for National Health Service charities, walking laps of his Bedfordshire garden during the lockdown.
He set out to raise £1,000 initially before winning the hearts of the nation, making headlines and surpassing that figure by millions of pounds.
Captain Sir Tom took to Twitter to share his feelings on his knighthood saying: “I could never have imagined this would happen to me. 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”
He finished the Tweet with the hashtag ‘Friday Will Be A Good Day’.
Royal investitures have been put on hold throughout the pandemic, and any that were set to take place in June and July were postponed.
The Queen, however, is set to make a special exception and carry out Tom’s official engagement in person – a rare for the monarch.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: “On occasion, the Queen invests individuals privately during audiences.
“Captain Sir Tom Moore’s knighthood was, exceptionally, announced individually by the Prime Minister, outside of the usual announcements of the Queen’s Birthday Honours and the New Year Honours.
“Captain Sir Tom and his family were hopeful the investiture could take place in a timely fashion and we are pleased it has been possible on this occasion.”
The open-air ceremony is set to be staged at the castle’s quadrangle where a military ceremony was held for the Queen on her birthday in June. Buckingham Palace believes this is the first time this unique format will take place.
The news also comes as a sculpture of Captain Sir Tom has been unveiled, commissioned by Garry McBride of Derbyshire-based Monumental Icons.
McBride hopes the bust can be displayed at the headquarters of NHS Charities Together, the charity Captain Sir Tom raised money for.
