Dame who met Queen Elizabeth II on many occasions will travel to London to pay her respects
Asha Khemka has been reflecting on her interactions with The Queen and what Her Majesty meant to her.
Dame and Deputy Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Asha Khemka, is one of the many Midlands residents who are travelling to London to pay their respects to the Queen this week.
Ms Khemka, who lives in Burton-upon-Trent, received an OBE from the Queen in 2009. She said she has felt honoured to have a number of interactions with Queen Elizabeth II.
The OBE recipient was also made a Dame in 2014 by the UK's longest reigning monarch.
Speaking to ITV News Central, Ms Khemnka said: "The first time when I met her it was during my OBE. Receiving this kind of honour from the Queen of the United Kingdom - it means something."
"She looked just like a mother figure to me. The way she was warm and holding my hand and talking to me."
"She spoke to me and looked into my eyes and we were talking just like we had known each other for a very, very long time. I was invited on 2 or 3 occasions to Buckingham Palace."
"One was the Diwali party and we had a fantastic time and I was admired for the sari that I was wearing for that. I was invited for a private lunch with Her Majesty."
"I took as a gift for her, a miners lamp from Mansfield - the mining area - and she says 'Dame Asha, you have brought the most appropriate gift from Mansfield.' and I said to Her Majesty. 'Your Majesty please don't call me Dame Asha, I'm Asha.'
"She said, 'We have made you a Dame, we'd better call you a Dame.'
"All of those mixed feelings in my heart, of knowing her, meeting her, talking to her, celebrating her, celebrating her reign over those many years, and then all of a sudden, she is no more."
"It was my honour, privilege to announce about the proclamation and about the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. The way she did her job, not just in this country but the world over. She is the Queen."
"She is the Queen of the world, not just the United Kingdom."
Following Buckingham Palace's announcement of Her Majesty's death, people, places and establishments from the East and West Midlands have been paying tribute to the Queen.
By some, her death has been described as "losing the mother of the country" and many Midlands residents are expected to travel to see The Queen's coffin.
Queen Elizabeth II will lie in state at Westminster Hall from Wednesday 14 September, until the morning of her funeral on Monday 19 September.
Her son King Charles III said the death of his beloved mother "will be deeply felt throughout the country, the realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."