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Captain Sir Tom Moore says the Queen is a ‘delightful person’

Captain Sir Tom Moore thinks the Queen is the "kindest person you could ever wish to meet".

The 100-year-old army veteran was knighted by the monarch during a special ceremony at Windsor Castle on Friday (17.07.20), and Captain Tom has now revealed he relished his encounter with the Queen, describing the royal as a "delightful person".

Captain Tom – who has raised more than £32 million for NHS charities – shared: "I’ve never ever had such a time in all my life as to be there speaking to the Queen, who’s such a delightful person. She was absolutely marvellous.

"When she tapped me on the shoulder with her sword, which had been her father’s, she did it so gently. She was the kindest person you could ever wish to meet."

In recent weeks, Buckingham Palace has decided to postpone a number of investitures due to the coronavirus pandemic.

But a special exception was made for Captain Tom, who was supported at the ceremony by various family members, including daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore, son-in-law Colin Ingram, grandson Benji and granddaughter Georgia.

Speaking about his meeting with the Queen, he told ‘Good Morning Britain’: "She looked round at all of us as a family and said, ‘You’ve done so well.’ It was an absolute pleasure and honour to be able to speak to the Queen so close.

"We had to keep our distance, of course, but we managed very well to have a little conversation, just to say it was a delightful time for me."

Captain Tom also insisted he doesn’t want to be treated any differently after receiving his knighthood.

He said: "Never ever did I anticipate so many weeks ago that I would be anything like that.

"I must say it sounds rather nice … Captain Sir Tom Moore, and I am enjoying it, but I’m still Tom Moore and to the outside world I’m still Captain Tom."