• Captain Tom Moore, a 100-year-old British war veteran, raised nearly £33 million (or $40 million) for the UK National Health Service by walking laps around his garden.
  • To celebrate his efforts, Queen Elizabeth II knighted Moore at Windsor Castle on Friday.
  • The Queen knighted Moore in front of his family on the castle grounds.
  • “I have been overwhelmed by the many honors I have received over the past weeks, but there is simply nothing that can compare to this, I am overwhelmed with pride and joy,” Moore wrote on his Twitter account about the experience.
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Captain Tom Moore, the 100-year-old World War II veteran who raised $40 million for the UK National Health Service, was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on Friday.

Moore began raising money for the NHS in the spring as the coronavirus spread throughout the UK. The veteran hoped to raise £1,000, or $1,250, before his 100th birthday in April by walking laps around his garden.

Moore quickly exceeded his goal, and he has raised approximately £33 million, or $40 million, for the NHS to date.

To honor his philanthropic work, the Queen invited Moore to Windsor Castle to be knighted.

captain moore and family

Foto: Moore and his family went to Windsor Castle for the knighting ceremony. Source: Chris Jackson / Staff / Getty Images

Moore and his family traveled to Windsor Castle for the ceremony, where the Queen has been staying amid the pandemic. Moore told iTV that meeting the Queen would be "absolutely marvelous for me" ahead of the knighting ceremony.

The knighting took place on the grounds of Windsor Castle with no viewing for the public. The Queen used a sword that belonged to her father, King George V, for the ceremony, and Moore was given the insignia of Knight Bachelor, according to a press release from Buckingham Palace.

The Queen tapped Moore's shoulders as is traditional in a knighting ceremony, but he did not have to kneel for the Queen as most people who are knighted do.

Instead, Moore leaned on his walker, which he used for the laps he took around his garden and is familiar to his supporters.

Foto: Moore did not have to kneel for the ceremony. Source: Chris Jackson/Pool Photo via AP

Moore was passionate about raising money for NHS staff because of the dangerous position they put themselves in to help others amid the pandemic.

"You are all entering into something where you are putting yourself in danger and you're doing that for the good of the people here," he said of healthcare workers on his website. "You are doing a marvelous, marvelous job."

Moore thanked the Queen for the knighting experience on Twitter.

"I have been overwhelmed by the many honours I have received over the past weeks, but there is simply nothing that can compare to this, I am overwhelmed with pride and joy," he wrote.

You can read more about Moore's charitable work on his website.

Captain Moore did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.