Fundraising hero Captain Sir Tom Moore knighted by the Queen

Fundraising hero Captain Sir Tom Moore has been knighted by the Queen during a special private ceremony at Windsor Castle.

The 100-year-old Second World War veteran has been recognised for his outstanding fundraising achievements, raising almost £33 million for the NHS by walking laps of his garden.

Captain Sir Tom Moore has been knighted during a ceremony at Windsor Castle Credit: PA

The former Army officer was joined by his family for the ceremony which took place in Windsor Castle's quadrangle.

The Queen has been shielding at her famous 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 - albeit with social distancing.

With her father, King George VI's sword in her hand, Her Majesty lightly touched Sir Tom first on his right shoulder then his left with the blade - dubbing him a knight.

Sir Tom, who was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, 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 30 April.

But donations soon 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.