Knighthood ceremonies have been postponed due to the pandemic, but Queen Elizabeth II made one very special exception.
On Friday, at an outdoor, socially distanced ceremony, the Queen bestowed a knighthood on 100-year-old Captain Tom Moore, who was not required to kneel before her.
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Wonderful scenes as Captain Tom Moore receives his knighthood from the Queen 👏 pic.twitter.com/MoCJkRr4zf
— HELLO! (@hellomag) July 17, 2020
Moore gained attention for his work raising money for U.K. health workers amid the coronavirus outbreak, with over $54 million in donations so far.
The ceremony on Friday took place at Windsor Castle, with Moore’s close family accompanying him, according to Town & Country.
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A message from Tom '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'#FridayWillBeAGoodDay pic.twitter.com/zha2bCIMzi
— Captain Tom Moore (@captaintommoore) July 15, 2020
Moore said it was “the most special of days for me,” gushing, according to the BBC: “I am absolutely overawed. This is such a high award and to get it from Her Majesty as well – what more can anyone wish for? This has been an absolutely magnificent day for me.”
“The money [raised] is very useful but you’ve only one Queen and when you get a message from the Queen there’s no value that can be placed on that.”
Plans for Moore’s knighthood were announced in May, with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling the former British army officer “a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus.”
~ With files from The Associated Press
