FUNDRAISING hero and national treasure Captain Sir Tom Moore will be knighted by the Queen in a special open-air ceremony this Friday.

The 100-year-old Second World War veteran will travel to Windsor Castle for the outdoor investiture on Friday.

Captain Sir Tom won the nation's hearts after raising almost £33million for health service charities by walking laps of his Bedfordshire garden.

He had originally set out to raise just £1,000.

Royal investitures were put on hold during the pandemic and those scheduled to take place at Buckingham Palace and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh in June and July were postponed.

But Queen, who has been staying at Windsor since before lockdown for her safety, will make a special exception to carry out the official engagement in person.

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "On occasion, the Queen invests individuals privately during audiences.

"Captain Sir Tom Moore’s knighthood was, exceptionally, announced individually by the Prime Minister, outside of the usual announcements of the Queen’s Birthday Honours and the New Year Honours.

"Captain Sir Tom and his family were hopeful the investiture could take place in a timely fashion and we are pleased it has been possible on this occasion."

The open-air ceremony will be staged in the castle’s quadrangle, where a military ceremony was held for the Queen's official birthday in June.

Buckingham Palace said they believe it is the first time this "unique" format will have taken place, amid the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic and the announcement of Captain Sir Tom Moore’s individual knighthood by Downing Street.

The Queen will use the sword that belonged to her father, King George VI, and present Captain Sir Tom with insignia of Knight Bachelor.

The insignia, which hangs on a red ribbon edged in gold and is usually placed around the recipient’s neck, will be part of the ceremony, but the Palace is still looking at how best to abide by social distancing rules.

Captain Sir Tom will be joined for the ceremony by daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore, son-in-law Colin Ingram, grandson Benji and granddaughter Georgia.

The investiture will take place entirely within the confines of Windsor Castle, with no viewing positions for the public.

Afterwards, Captain Sir Tom and his family will be served refreshments inside the Castle, but the Queen will only be attending the ceremony.

Philip, 99, who retired from public duties in 2017, will not be present.

Captain Sir Tom marked his milestone 100th birthday in April, receiving congratulations from the Queen, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan and many more well-wishers.

He was sent more than 125,000 cards from across the globe.