Captain Sir Tom says Queen is 'the kindest person you could ever wish to meet' after monarch knighted him for raising more than £32m for the NHS
Newly knighted Captain Sir Tom Moore today said that being presented with the honour by the Queen was 'absolutely amazing' as he praised the monarch as 'the kindest person you could ever wish to meet'.
The national hero, 100, was personally thanked by the Queen for raising more than £32 million for the NHS during a unique open-air ceremony on Windsor Castle quadrangle.
Describing the moment today, he told Good Morning Britain: 'It was absolutely amazing. I've never ever had such a time in all my life as to be there speaking to the Queen, who is such a delightful person.
'When she tapped me on the shoulder with the sword which had been her father's she did it so gently. She was the kindest person you could ever wish to meet.'
Her Majesty beamed as she bestowed the honour upon the 100-year-old veteran during the unprecedented ceremony
The Second World War veteran's extraordinary year was capped as Her Majesty dubbed him a knight with her father, George VI's sword, in a unique ceremony on Friday held outside for the first time ever to lower the risk of spreading coronavirus.
The Queen has been shielding at her Berkshire home for much of the lockdown with the Duke of Edinburgh, and the event was her first face-to-face royal engagement with a member of the public since March.
She spoke to Sir Tom briefly and then the family gathered around for a chat with her too.Asked by GMB's Kate Garraway if the monarch discussed his achievements, Sir Tom said: 'Yes I think she did because she looked around at all of us and said we had all done so well.
'It was an absolute honour to be able to speak to the Queen so close, although we had to keep our distance of course. It was a delightful time for me.'
Her Majesty left her granddaughter Prince Beatrice's wedding to stage the rare outdoor investiture, with her arrival announced by the sound of bagpipes played by the Queen's Piper, Pipe Major Richard Grisdale, of The Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Captain Tom was joined for tea on the day by his family, including including his daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore (second from right), son-in-law Colin Ingram-Moore (right), and grandson Benjie (left) and granddaughter Georgia (second left)
He is pictured today with his family during an interview on Good Morning Britain from his home in Berkshire
Sir Tom had set out to raise £1,000 by walking 100 laps of his garden in the village of Marston Moretaine in Bedfordshire before his 100th birthday on April 30.
But his efforts struck a chord with national feeling, and praise and donations flooded in, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying the veteran 'provided us all with a beacon of light through the fog of coronavirus' and recommended he be knighted.
The Queen appeared to warm to Sir Tom, who is from the same wartime generation as the monarch, and his family, daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore, son-in-law Colin Ingram, grandson Benjie and granddaughter Georgia.
During the ceremony the monarch was heard telling Sir Tom: 'Thank you so much, an amazing amount of money you raised.'
Before the ceremony, he joked as he left his Bedfordshire home: 'If I kneel down I'll never get up again.'He said on Saturday that despite his new title from Her Majesty, he would still like to be known as Captain Tom, rather than Sir Tom.
'I'm still Captain Tom,' he told BBC Breakfast. 'I think that's the easy one. People will be able to remember, so just straight forward Captain Tom, or if we get a bit closer, just Tom.'
ITV later revealed that Sir Tom had been offered the chance to have tea with the Queen at Windsor Castle, but politely declined as he was already due to meet with his family at a local hotel.
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