Princess of Wales' tender moment with hero at Queen Elizabeth II's centenary

The Princess of Wales shared an emotional embrace with a George Cross hero as the royal family came together to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 100th birthday. Tony Gledhill, 88, who won the highest award for chasing down and capturing gun toting crooks in 1966 , looked delighted as he shared a personal moment with the future queen. Speaking afterwards the former Metropolitan Police officer explained that his wife had recently died and she had told him before she passed that he must attend the palace event. The hero said of the princess: “She was fantastic.” To kick off the celebrations, the King led commemorations for his late mother’s centenary as he paid tribute to the life and legacy of his “darling mama”. Charles also personally gave them their special cards signed by himself and Queen Camilla , as well as helped to cut a cake which was distributed to 190 guests at Buckingham Palace . The King and Queen were joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales , the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester , the 90-year-old Duke of Kent, and 89-year-old Princess Alexandra . To mark the special occasion the royal family all gathered for a special portrait after the event. The reception was designed to celebrate the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II on the anniversary of her birth, including guests from 45 of the patronages she supported including Cancer Research UK, the British Red Cross Society, Jockey Club, Royal Kennel Club and the Army Benevolent Fund. Earlier in the day, Buckingham Palace released a recorded address by the King from his Balmoral home in Scotland , where Elizabeth passed away peacefully aged 96 on September 8 2022. Charles said: “Today, as we mark what would have been my beloved mother’s one hundredth birthday, my Family and I pause to reflect on the life and loss of a Sovereign who meant so much to us all and to celebrate anew the many blessings of her memory. “Queen Elizabeth’s ‘promise with destiny kept’ shaped the world around her and touched the lives of countless people across our nation, the Commonwealth and beyond. “Her near-century was one of remarkable change and yet, through each passing decade, through every transformation, she remained constant, steadfast and wholly devoted to the people she served.” At the royals’ HQ in London, Buckingham Palace’s historic Marble Hall was decorated to look like a street party, with bunting hanging from the ceiling and paintings. It was previously used for last year’s VJ Day commemorations and was made by household staff from old pieces of historic curtains and drapes. More than 200 were treated to champagne and a special QEII ‘tribute’ cocktail made from her favourite Dubonnet. Stands showing portraits of the late monarch visiting each of the charities lined the halls and the Band of the Household Cavalry played a series of jolly modern tunes. A Paddington Bear could be seen peaking out from behind three Queen Elizabeth II roses created by Harnkness Roses in 2021, gifts for the birthday guests of honour from the Royal Horticultural Society. The King and Queen led the royal party in from the gardens as the band played , encouraging guests to sing a verse of Happy Birthday. He bent down to speak to birthday girl Mary Wood from Yatton in North Somerset, who insisted on trying to get up from her wheelchair to greet him. Born in Wolverhampton, Mrs Wood trained as a nurse at Corbett Hospital in Stourbridge and enjoyed a lifelong career in nursing. She had two sons, David and Nicholas, with her late husband, Victor. As he handed her a card, the King asked: “Is it your birthday today?”, remarking “Oh how wonderful. The same as my Mama. That’a marvellous!” Queen Camilla told her: “You don’t look old enough to be one hundred!” Mrs Wood told her the secret was eating “good food as I grew up. Mrs Wood said afterwards: “I came here to meet the late Queen when she celebrated her 80th birthday as mine was also on the same day. And now I have met her son. It’s been wonderful and so unexpected. I have followed the Royal Family my whole life.” The King and Queen were followed by the Prince and Princess of Wales down the line, bending down to chat to the three centenarians. Catherine wore a pretty lavender dress and her hair loose with pearls. The King and Camilla then helped birthday lady Joan Hollingworth to cut a cake made by the palace pastry chefs. Joan Illingworth was also wished happy birthday by all the senior royals. Prince William jokingly told her: “I can't believe you are 100! Do we need to call security, have you snuck in?” Joan was heard telling William her secret to looking young eating Liquorice Allsorts and clotted cream fudge. On sharing a birthday with Queen Elizabeth II, she said: “I remember all her life she was growing as we were the same age so it feels very special. It feels different being born on the same day as the Queen. And added: "It feels special and today was a privilege.” In the morning, the Princess Royal also paid special tribute to her late mother’s steadfastness throughout her record-breaking reign, recalling how her “basics remained the same”. Princess Anne hailed her late mother’s constancy while opening the Queen Elizabeth II Garden this morning, a new space “for reflection” in Regent’s Park, dedicated to the memory of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. Speaking after touring the garden, Anne, 75, thanked everyone involved in the project for their “pioneering approach to a real garden for the future.” The Princess Royal added: “These spaces are for everyone. Like all gardens, it will change and will always feel different and perhaps that’s always as important as the basics remaining the same. The basics did remain the same, that was always important to my late mother’s life.” The King and Queen, alongside the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Prime Minister, also visited the British Museum to view final designs for the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II to be erected in St James’s Park. The royals were joined by artist Dame Tracey Emin, broadcaster Claudia Winkleman, designer Erdem Moralioglu and presenter Martha Kearney, who are all trustees of the museum. Celebrated architect Lord Foster talked the royal party through the model, explaining how the memorial, which stretches from the Mall to Birdcage Walk, was inspired by the Park's original John Nash design, which followed a naturalistic, winding path rather than a straight line. He pointed out where a bronze standing statue of the late monarch by sculptor Martin Jennings will stand, at a formal entrance on The Mall, a few metres ahead of a statue of Prince Philip . Charles declared the winning design “fantastic”.