Young Sheffield fundraiser 'Captain Tobias' has tea with the royals

A young fundraiser from Sheffield, who has cerebral palsy and autism, said he "felt like royalty" after being invited to tea at Buckingham Palace.

Eleven-year-old Tobias Weller met the Princess Royal, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at the first garden party held at Buckingham Palace since 2019.

He said: "It was amazing. I still can't believe it's true and I actually got to go to Buckingham Palace. I met all the royals, I chatted to them all but Anne was my favourite. We chatted about her winning Sports Personality of the Year in 1971."

The schoolboy was nicknamed "Captain Tobias" after he was inspired by Captain Sir Tom Moore to start raising money during the pandemic lockdowns. He has raised more than £157,000 for his school and The Children's Hospital Charity in his hometown.

He become the youngest person on record to feature in the Honours list when it was announced that he would be given the British Empire Medal.

Captain Tobias meets the therapist his fundraising pays for
Tobias swam and triked his way to the end of a year-long Ironman Challenge last year. Credit: PA

He added: "Lots of people recognised me and congratulated me on my fundraising. It made me feel magnificent. I totally felt like royalty, it was such a magical afternoon."

Around 8,000 guests attended the party, including representatives from the Royal Shakespeare Company and England's chief medical officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty.

The Queen was not in attendance due to her mobility issues.

Charles and Camilla step in for Queen to host first palace garden party in years

Tobias revealed he's taking on a new challenge, called Tobias in the Park, to make playgrounds more accessible to children with disabilities.

It's a challenge for everyone and anyone to travel 1km - or as far as they can manage - in any way that is challenging to them. He will be completing his 1km in Sheffield on 21 May.