Queen Elizabeth is conducting her very first in-person royal engagement since the coronavirus lockdown. The 94-year-old monarch is meeting with the 100-year-old former British Army serviceman, Captain Tom Moore, on Friday, July 17, 2020, in Windsor Castle.
In a statement Wednesday, the palace confirmed that Queen Elizabeth will be conferring the Honor of Knighthood to Moore. His family will also be at the face-to-face meeting but no one else will be permitted to witness the special ceremony.
It was, previously, announced that investitures, or the act of conferring someone with an honor or special rank, have been canceled until July since it would be a challenge for Queen Elizabeth to social distance. Investitures require face-to-face contact since the Her Majesty has to perform the ceremony by tapping the sword of her father, King George VI, on the shoulders of the person being conferred.
However, Queen Elizabeth, reportedly, made a special exception for Moore, following the formal announcement of his knighthood in May. The centenarian impressed the Queen, as well as millions of people in Britain and around the world, after he raised more than $40 million for the frontline workers of the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS).
Before he turned 100-years-old in April, Moore established a JustGiving page with the help of his family and said that he will walk 10 laps a day to raise money for the NHS. Moore, who requires a mobility device after a hip surgery, managed to reach his $1,000 goal within 24 hours and was further inspired to extend his fundraiser because of the public's response. In the end, he was able to raise over $40 million.
Prince William also, reportedly, donated to Moore's cause and praised the centenarian as a "one-man fundraising machine." The Duke of Cambridge said that the World War II veteran is such an inspiration.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth conducted another Zoom video conference call with the members of the Armed Forces in Great Britain earlier this week. According to Entertainment Tonight, the monarch was in great spirits during the conversation and even giggled when Lance Corporal Shanwayne Stephens shared an anecdote about how he is training for bobsled.
Queen Elizabeth has been isolating from the coronavirus in Windsor Castle since the middle of March with her husband, Prince Philip, who flew in from Sandringham. The monarch is expected to move to Balmoral in Scotland by August, where she, reportedly, intends to stay isolated until October.
