She knighted Captain Sir Thomas Moore in her first official engagement in-person following the COVID-19 lockdown. He was the sole individual to receive this special honor.
Queen Elizabeth II tapped the World War II veteran’s shoulders with the blade of the sword that was once owned by her father, King George VI.
He was nominated for a knighthood by UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who stated that Captain Moore provided the country with “a beacon of light through the fog of Coronavirus.” Johnson praised his “fantastic fundraising” which broke records and added that he served as an inspiration for the whole country. He was described as a “true national treasure,” and rightfully so.
A former British Army officer raised in excess of £32 million for the NHS charities. The fundraising hero walked 100 laps of his garden in Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire, prior to his 100th birthday. His original goal was to raise just £ 1,000 ($1,200) for charity.
The honors kept on coming. A high-speed train was named after him and the Royal Air Force jets performed a flypast for his 100th birthday on April 30, 2020. He served as an engineer in India and Burma during World War II. The army had made Moore an honorary colonel on his landmark 100th birthday, and he has received an estimated 140,000 cards.
He holds two world records to his credit: raising the most money doing an individual charity walk, and he was the oldest person to top the UK singles charts.
