Queen knights 100-year-old UK fundraiser

[WINDSOR] Captain Tom Moore, the 100-year-old who became a national hero in Britain by raising millions of pounds for health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, was knighted "Sir Tom" on Friday by Queen Elizabeth.

The World War Two veteran raised a record sum of £33 million (S$57.5 million) by walking 100 laps of his garden with the aid of a walking frame in April in the run-up to his landmark birthday.

His endeavour touched the hearts of people in Britain and beyond as they faced the adversity of the coronavirus crisis, prompting Prime Minister Boris Johnson to nominate Mr Moore for the award.

Mr Moore, who has been made an honorary colonel and an honorary member of the England cricket team, received the ancient accolade at Windsor Castle, where the 94-year-old monarch has been sheltering since March.

Other investitures have been postponed because of the coronavirus and this was one of the first official duties the queen carried out since the coronavirus lockdown.

Buckingham Palace said the ceremony took place in private with Mr Moore accompanied by members of his family.

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"I could never have imagined this would happen to me," Mr Moore said in an earlier message posted on Twitter.

"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."

The palace said the queen used a sword that belonged to her father, George VI, for the ceremony.

REUTERS