‘I’m still Captain Tom… not SIR Tom’: Fundraising hero brushes off honorary title

National hero Captain Sir Tom Moore said being presented with a knighthood by the Queen yesterday was ‘something very special’.

He has also said 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 said Speaking to BBC Breakfast on Saturday. ‘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.’

Describing the events at Windsor Castle yesterday, he said receiving the knighthood during the open-air ceremony had been a ‘marvellous day’.

He added: ‘You never, ever could imagine what it was like to be so close to the Queen, who is an absolute dream of a person.

When asked what it meant for Her Majesty to make a rare public appearance outside during the coronavirus crisis, he said: ‘We really enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and to have that honour, really, that is something very special.’

‘It was absolutely amazing that she would take all the trouble to come out on that one occasion. It was absolutely outstanding, and it is impossible to give her all the thanks that I feel for the honour that she gave me by coming out in the sun yesterday. It really was a magnificent day, and she really was a wonderful person,’ he said.

But would he be willing to share what he The Queen discussed during their meeting, BBC Breakfast’s Charlie Stayt asked, to which Captain Tom said: ‘No not at all. The queen and I had a little private conversation, and that will stay between the two of us for all time. It was very nice of you to ask the question, but I’m not going to give you the answer.’

He went on to say that his does not intend to take a rest now that he has been given a knighthood, and that he was ‘thrilled that this has given hope to people.’

‘I’ve always been an most optimisitc person all my live – I’ve always believed that things will get better – and I say to everybody – tomorrow will be a good day.

‘We’re not entitled to a respite because so many people are still so kindly interested and people are still contributing to our cause, so no, rest is not in the order of things. I’m afraid you’ve got to be stuck with me for some time now.’

Sir Moore was knighted by the Queen who arrived straight from the wedding of her granddaughter Princess Beatrice in an unprecedented personal ceremony in recognition of his £33million fundraising effort for the NHS.

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 held outside for the first time ever to lower the risk of spreading coronavirus.

Staged in the imposing setting of Windsor Castle’s quadrangle, the ceremony saw the 100-year-old former Army officer joined by his family.

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.

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.

The Queen spoke to Sir Tom briefly and then the family gathered around for a chat with her too. The Queen said: ‘A hundred is a great age.’ Sir Tom responded: ‘‘You’ve a long way to go yet’. The Queen was also heard saying: ‘Anyway it’s a nice day. Best of luck to you.’ 

Just hours earlier the Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and other close family attended the unannounced wedding of their granddaughter Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a nearby chapel. 

The Queen, who was still in the same outfit she had worn to Beatrice’s wedding, told Sir Tom and his family the wedding was ‘very nice’, adding: ‘My granddaughter got married this morning both Philip and I managed to get there – very nice.’ 

The Queen hosted the informal ceremony and spent around five minutes chatting to Sir Tom and his family, praising the veteran as she said: ‘Thank you so much, an amazing amount of money you raised.’

Before the ceremony, Sir Tom had joked as he left his Bedfordshire home: ‘If I kneel down I’ll never get up again.’

After the ceremony Sir Tom had a refreshment break inside the castle and returned to the quadrangle full of vigour and gave a series of interviews to the waiting press.

He said: ‘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.’

Asked what was better, raising more than £30million or having the Queen ‘break her lockdown’ to award him the honour, Sir Tom replied: ‘The money 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.’  

The veteran went on to say: ‘To meet the Queen was more than anyone could expect, never ever did I imagine I would get so close to the Queen and have such a kind message from her, that was really outstanding, it was truly outstanding.’

Sir Tom took the media questions in his stride but when he was asked to reveal the personal message from the Queen he remained tight lipped.

‘No. That’s between the Queen and I,’ he said ‘I don’t think I’ll tell anybody what she said, it was just the Queen and I speaking privately and it was a great honour for me to be able to speak to her at all.’   

Sir Tom thanked his supporters who helped him raise the massive total for the NHS, something he said the Queen highlighted: ‘She did mention the money and she thought it was a magnificent sum to raise.’

Reflecting on the journey that has taken him from local fundraiser to a knighthood he said: ‘When you think that about four months ago I was just Tom Moore, now I’m Sir Tom Moore, no one could ever have believed that, in that time it would happen to me.

‘I’ve been really honoured that this should happen and I’m thrilled that it did happen, and thank you everyone who subscribed to the fund – I really appreciate it and thank you all very much.’  

At the end of his press interviews Sir quipped ‘is that all?’ after being told he had answered his last question.

And when a journalist said it was probably too hot for him in the sun he looked down at his wartime medals and joked ‘all this metal work reflects the heat’.

Sir Tom answered one last question to reveal he and the 94-year-old monarch had talked about ages: ‘She did mention I’m 100 and I said to her ”well you’ve a long way to go yet”, so she’s alright.’ 

The monarch was joined in the quadrangle by the Master of the Household, retired Vice Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt, who carried the insignia of Knight Bachelor, while one of the Queen’s Pages was entrusted with King George VI’s sword.

Waiting was Sir Tom and his family – daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore, son-in-law Colin Ingram, grandson Benjie and granddaughter Georgia.

As the head of state chatted she was overheard telling the former Army captain who celebrated becoming a centenarian a few months ago: ‘One hundred is a great age.’

The talk turned to national events and the coronavirus and the Queen, who has been sheltering at Windsor with Philip asked: ‘Have you been shut up – been isolating?’

The family of the fundraising hero described the Queen’s decision to give him his knighthood in a unique private ceremony as ‘the icing on the cake’ of his achievements.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: ‘Arise Sir Tom! So richly deserved – you have inspired the whole nation with your fantastic fundraising efforts.’

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer tweeted: ‘Congratulations Sir Tom! Thank you for your incredible fundraising efforts through this crisis and for being an inspiration to so many.’

The 100-year-old Second World War veteran earned himself a knighthood after raising £33 million for health service charities.

Sir Tom won the hearts of the nation and the donations came flooding in after he set out on his challenge to walk 100 lengths of his Bedfordshire garden before his 100th birthday earlier this year.

While other investitures due to be held at Buckingham Palace in London and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in June and July were postponed, a special exception was made for Sir Tom. 

The Prime Minister previously called Sir Tom a ‘point of light in our lives’ as he thanked him for pulling the nation together through the coronavirus pandemic. 

A post on Captain Sir Tom Moore’s official Twitter account this morning shared a picture of him wearing his campaign medals ahead of the ceremony.

It read: ‘Good Morning! Ready and raring to go for what is a very special day. Thank you for all the well wishes, as ever, overwhelmed by your support. #todaywillbeagoodday’

Speaking to reporters as he left his home, he said: ‘It isn’t everybody that gets the chance to see the Queen, is it? It’s going to be absolutely marvellous for me.’ 

His daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore said the investiture was the ‘icing on the cake’ of her father’s amazing year. 

Speaking to BBC Breakfast ahead of the ceremony, she said: ‘We will take a leisurely pace down to Windsor – no rushing today and no falling, no tripping, and we have a fairly regimented day ahead of us.’

She added: ‘Protocol is being written as we speak and we will simply be doing as we are told.’

Sir Tom’s grandson Benjie said: ‘I just want to say thank you to absolutely everybody who has supported us.

‘We would not be in this situation without everyone on the other side of the camera, so, from our family, thank you for putting us in this situation.’

His granddaughter Georgia added: ‘We are so proud of him and I’m so excited for this day.’

Ahead of the ceremony, Sir Tom said on his official Twitter account: ‘It is going to be the most special of days for me.’ 

Buckingham Palace believes it is the first time the ‘unique’ format of his ceremony will have taken place, amid the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic and Downing Street’s announcement of Sir Tom’s individual knighthood.

Royal commentator Dickie Arbiter described the Queen’s decision to give Sir Tom his knighthood in an individual ceremony as ‘very significant’.

He added: ‘The Queen has always said she ‘needs to be seen to be believed’ so today she will be seen – the last time we actually saw her physically was in June in the alternative Trooping the Colour at Windsor Castle.

‘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.’

The Queen used the sword that belonged to her father, King George VI, and will present Sir Tom with the insignia of Knight Bachelor.

Buckingham Palace said the investiture followed strict social distancing rules.

Earlier in the day, Princess Beatrice married Italian property developer Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a surprise secret ceremony at Windsor Castle.

The couple were due to tie the knot at the Chapel Royal of St James’s Palace on 29 May. But their ceremony was postponed due to Covid-19 and no new date was given by the palace at the time.  

Beatrice, 31, and Edo exchanged vows today at 11am at the Royal Chapel of All Saints, in the grounds of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s home of Royal Lodge, in Windsor Great Park. On marriage Beatrice becomes a stepmother to Edo’s son Christopher, known as Wolfie. 

The bride’s grandparents the Queen, 94, and the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, who have both been in isolation at Windsor Castle, were in attendance and appeared in excellent spirits as they left the service. The Queen, who has now seen six of her eight grandchildren marry, looked resplendent in mint green for the occasion.

The bride’s parents, Prince Andrew and the Duchess of York as well as her sister Princess Eugenie, 30, are believed to have been among the 20 or so guests in attendance, with the guest list vastly stripped back due to Covid-19 restrictions which allow a maximum of 30 people. 

Long to reign over us: The Queen marks 25,000 days on the throne tomorrow after being crowned at 25 to become Britain’s longest-serving monarch aged 94

The Queen will have reigned for 25,000 days tomorrow, passing another milestone as the nation’s longest serving monarch.

Elizabeth II became sovereign on February 6, 1952 on the death of her father, King George VI, when she was 25.

The Queen reached her Silver Jubilee in 1977, Golden one in 2002 and Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

And the 94-year-old is now less than two years away from celebrating her Platinum Jubilee – 70 years on the throne – in 2022. 

The Queen has been a figure of continuity as her country changed through the 20th century, the Millennium and into the 21st century amid new technological and social advances and a succession of British governments.

During the seven decades of her reign, man has landed on the Moon, Britain got its first, then second, female prime minister, the internet was invented, and gay marriage was legalised in the UK.

The public has looked to the Queen in times of tragedy – the September 11 terror attacks, the London bombings, the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and more recently during the coronavirus crisis.

As well as being the longest-reigning monarch in British history, the Queen is also the longest still-serving sovereign and wealthiest Queen in the world, and the oldest British monarch.  

When she became the country’s longest-serving monarch in 2015, she thanked the nation for its kind messages, but admitted that the royal record was, ‘not one to which I have ever aspired’.

‘Inevitably a long life can pass by many milestones. My own is no exception,’ she remarked.

The Queen will be at Windsor Castle with the Duke of Edinburgh and the ‘HMS Bubble’ of staff who have been running the couple’s reduced household.

She will have been monarch for 68 years, five months and 12 days by July 18, and in 2015 overtook the record of 23,226 days, 16 hours and some 30 minutes set by her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.

But Her Majesty’s approach to having been on the throne for 25,000 days will undoubtedly be a matter-of-fact one, with the milestone unlikely to be on her radar. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: ‘The Queen is spending the day privately.’

In March, the Queen became the fourth longest-serving monarch today, surpassing Mayan ruler Pakal the Great.

By March 11, Her Majesty had been on the throne for 68 years and 34 days, while K’inich Janaab Pakal ruled the Maya city state of Palenque for 68 years and 33 days before his death in 683AD.  

Pakal the Great is thought to have ascended to the throne at the age of 12- years-old and during his rule managed to expand Palenque’s power in the western Maya states.

The Mayan civilisation reached its peak between 250 and 900 AD, when it ruled large swathes of what is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.

Meanwhile, just ahead of the British monarch is Johann II of Liechtenstein, who ruled from 1858 and 1929.

This is followed by Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand.

King Bhumibol reigned from 1946 until his death in October 2016 and was the world’s longest living reigning monarch before the Queen.

Holding on to the top spot is Louis XIV of France, with an impressive 72-year and 110-day reign.

Known as Louis the Great, the French monarch became King at the age of four following the death of his father Louis XIII, and ruled from 14 May 1643 to 1 September 1715.  

The Queen, 94, has been seen riding at Windsor throughout lockdown and celebrated both her actual and official birthdays, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh turning 99.  

The Queen said of the global Covid-19 pandemic: ‘While we have faced challenges before, this one is different.’

She also delivered two rare televised addresses to the nation just weeks apart during lockdown, reassuring the country that the virus would be overcome, telling those in isolation: ‘We will meet again.’

In another speech to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day, she told how the message at the end of the war in Europe was ‘never give up, never despair’.