Queen pays personal tribute to Captain Sir Tom Moore after national hero dies at 100

Watch: Captain Sir Tom Moore dies, aged 100

The Queen has sent a personal message of condolence to the family of Captain Sir Tom Moore after they confirmed his death at the age of 100.

Capt Sir Tom died on Tuesday in hospital after suffering with both pneumonia and coronavirus.

He raised more than £31m last Spring during the first wave of the pandemic, and became a knight of the realm in the summer, receiving his honour from the Queen.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The Queen is sending a private message of condolence to the family of Captain Sir Tom Moore. Her Majesty very much enjoyed meeting Cpt Sir Tom and his family at Windsor last year.

“Her thoughts, and those of the Royal Family, are with them, recognising the inspiration he provided for the whole nation and others across the world.”

His family confirmed his death in a post on Twitter, simply sharing a picture of him with the dates “1920-2021”.

Capt Sir Tom captured the hearts of the nation - but also of the Royal Family - when he raised millions of pounds for NHS Charities Together by doing lengths of his garden.

Prince William and his wife Kate shared their support for him in spring 2020, and made a private donation to his efforts.

William dubbed him an “absolute legend” and wrote to him to express his support.

Read more: Captain Sir Tom Moore dies aged 100 after testing positive for COVID

In April 2020, after Capt Tom made it to 100 laps, the duke said: “It’s incredible, I did see it on the news the other night and I thought ‘Good on him’.

“It’s amazing and what I love also is that he’s a 99-year-old war vet who’s been around a long time, knows everything, and it’s wonderful that everyone kind of has been inspired by his story and his determination.”

William also called him a “one-man fundraising machine”.

The comments thrilled Capt Tom, who referred to William as “my super prince”.

Soon after, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, added her own praise to Capt Tom.

Camilla called him a “wonderful man” and added “that sort of thing makes you proud to be British, doesn’t it”.

Her comments were made as Capt Tom marked his 100th birthday, receiving hundreds of cards from people across the UK, and of course, the Queen.

Rather than simply post the card, the Queen enlisted her personal representative in Bedfordshire, to deliver the card to Cpt Moore.

Lord-Lieutenant Helen Nellis delivered the card which read: “I am so pleased to know you are celebrating your one hundredth birthday on 30 April 2020.

“I was also most interested to hear of your recent fundraising efforts for NHS Charities Together at this difficult time.

“I send my congratulations and best wishes to you on such a special occasion. Elizabeth.”

In July 2020, the Queen invited Capt Tom to her home in Windsor for a special ceremony to honour him with a knighthood.

Read more: Captain Sir Tom Moore in his own words

Investitures had been postponed from March of the same year, but the Queen made a special exception for the Captain, who had also received an honourary title of Colonel by this point.

In the private event, not viewable to the passing public, the Queen declared him a Knight Bachelor, using her father’s sword for the unique occasion.

Only Capt Tom’s family were able to attend.

His daughter said the knighthood was the “icing on the cake”.

He said afterwards: “I am absolutely overawed, this is such a high award and to get it from Her Majesty as well – what more can anyone wish for? This has been an absolutely magnificent day for me.”

Asked whether raising the money was better or meeting the Queen, he said: “The money is very useful but you’ve only one Queen and when you get a message from the Queen there’s no value that can be placed on that.”

He added: “To meet the Queen was more than anyone could expect, never ever did I imagine I would get so close to the Queen and have such a kind message from her, that was really outstanding, it was truly outstanding.”

He did not disclose what they had spoken about, but did say he had told her she had “a long way to go” before she turned 100.

Watch: Britain’s Captain Tom hospitalised with COVID-19