Captain Tom Moore will receive another well-deserved honour this Friday. The 100-year-old veteran and fundraiser will head to Windsor Castle with his family for a knighthood ceremony conducted by Queen Elizabeth II.
"On Friday 17th July 2020, Her Majesty The Queen will confer the Honour of Knighthood on Captain Sir Thomas Moore at an Investiture at Windsor Castle. Captain Sir Thomas Moore will be accompanied by members of his family," Buckingham Palace announced. Such events were originally cancelled for the months of June and July, but People reported that an exception was made for Moore's ceremony.
The Queen returns to an in-person event in lockdown
Captain Tom's visit will be the Queen's first in-person event since she entered lockdown in March during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. But since the ceremony will take place at Windsor Castle, the 94-year-old monarch won't actually be exiting her lockdown home. Only Moore's family will attend the socially-distanced event.
In that sense, the investiture ceremony is a special one for the Queen. And she'll honour a very deserving subject on the occasion. In addition to his military service, Moore launched a fundraising walk for the NHS in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In early April, the 99-year-old pledged to walk 100 laps in his 25m garden before his 100th birthday, which fell on April 30. His effort was a wonderful success, as he completed the walk and in doing so raised a total of nearly £30 million.
Captain Tom Moore receives another royal honour
On his 100th birthday, Captain Tom was made an honorary colonel and received a Defence Medal, in addition to a special centenary birthday card from the Queen.
The ever-charming centenarian is also delighted to attend the knighthood ceremony on Friday. Today, on Twitter, Captain Tom wrote: "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 added the hashtag, #FridayWillBeAGoodDay. He'll now add a Knight Bachelor honour to his impressive collection of accomplishments and accolades.
Congratulations to Captain Tom on his latest honour!