After raising more than £32m for the National Health Service (NHS) amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 100-year-old veteran Captain Sir Tom Moore will be knighted by no other than the Queen herself in a ceremony at Windsor Castle, Friday.
Back in May, Capt Sir Tom was nominated for knighthood by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. According to The Telegraph, the war veteran stated that he has never imagined that something like this would happen to him. He also said that the ceremony will be one of the most special of his days.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, most royal investitures scheduled in June and July and that were supposed to be done the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and Buckingham Palace were put on hold. However, Capt Sir Tom's knighting will be carried out by Queen Elizabeth herself since she has been staying in Windsor during the lockdown.
People who wants to view the ceremony were asked not to go to Windsor since there will be no available viewpoint, in order to prevent COVID-19 from further spreading.
The sword that will be used in the knighting of Capt Sir Tom originally belonged to the Queen's father George VI. The Queen will also be the one to present the war veteran with the Knight Bachelor's insignia.
In his Twitter account, Capt Sir Tom expressed his happiness for being given such a huge honor. He said that he is also looking forward to meeting Her Majesty The Queen.
A message from Tom 'I could never have imagined this would happen to me. 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'#FridayWillBeAGoodDay pic.twitter.com/zha2bCIMzi — Captain Tom Moore (@captaintommoore) July 15, 2020
A captain to everyone
In order to pay tribute to the efforts of Capt Sir Tom, people began making patchwork collages, knitted dolls, garage murals and even balloon models. The so-called 'Tom-mania' swept the whole country.
Meanwhile, artists also appreciated the efforts of the veteran. In a report by BBC, it was stated that artist Adam Salisbury said that Capt Sir Tom's efforts was the only thing that has made him feel good about himself while on lockdown. Moreover, another artist, Rick Minns made a tribute painting for the veteran calling him, "a captain to us all."
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"A Walk to Remember"
Capt Sir Tom's efforts to raise money for the NHS began as he intended to raise £1,000 through walking around his garden. However, his efforts did not go unnoticed as he has earned support from more than half a million people. The £1,000 he initially intended to raise quickly became £32,794,701.
With the cases and death toll of COVID-19 continuously rising in the country throughout April, people were eager to hear any good news. Thus, the efforts of a 100-year-old veteran trying to raise money for health workers and aid in the fight against the pandemic became popular.
In his 100 years, Capt Sir Tom never expected to be given the honor of being a knight. But with his genuine efforts to help amidst a pandemic that has crippled even the world's largest economy, he was honored. Capt Sir Tom literally walked towards knighthood. It is indeed a walk to remember.
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