Captain Tom Moore knighted by the Queen at Windsor

BRITAIN’S favourite fundraising hero got a dream come true when the Queen knighted him during a private ceremony at Windsor Castle today.

The ex-serviceman who is a Second World War veteran earned himself the highest honour by raising around £33 million in aid of the NHS as it struggled to cope with the constant battering of the COVID pandemic.

Sir Tom challenged himself to walk 100 lengths of his Bedfordshire garden before his special 100th birthday this year, an achievement leading to the PM Boris Johnson minister nominating him for the award.

Guests at the ceremony included Sir Tom’s daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore, son-in-law Colin Ingram, grandson Benjie and granddaughter Georgia watching.

Her Majesty, 94, has been living in Windsor during the pandemic for her own safety, but bravely chose to carry out the official engagement in person.

She thanked Sir Tom personally, saying: “Thank you so much, an amazing amount of money you raised.”

Leading up to the event, Sir Tom posted a tweet saying that he was “raring to go”, for a “very special day” and thanked supporters for their well wishes.

“To actually see the Queen in person – this is a step in the right direction, a step hopefully back to new normality, but it will be a very slow step,” Sir Tom added.