Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson has opened up about how the late Queen Elizabeth II had been "absolutely on it" in their final meeting just two days before her death.
The MP said she remained "actively focused" on both world and UK politics when he formally tendered his resignation as Prime Minister to her on Tuesday 6 September.
Boris had his final audience with the Queen in Balmoral Castle in Scotland last week, before the late monarch then met with his successor and the UK's new Prime Minister, Liz Truss.
The Conservative backbencher, who was the 14th Prime Minister of the Queen's 70-year reign, said he was moved by her "sense of duty" during their meeting.
He told Fiona Bruce in a candid interview with the BBC: "One of the reasons it was so shocking on the 8th to hear about her death was because in that audience she had been absolutely on it. Just two days before her death.
"She was actively focused on geopolitics, on UK politics, quoting statesmen from the '50s, it was quite extraordinary.
"She seemed very bright, very focused. Look, she was clearly not well, I think that was the thing I found so moving when we all heard about her death two days later.
"I just thought how incredible that her sense of duty had kept her going in the way that it had, given how ill she obviously was, how amazing that she should be so bright and so focussed. So it was a pretty emotional time."
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He also spoke of his favourite memories of the Queen and that she should now be known fondly as Elizabeth the Great.
Boris continued: "She had such a knowledge of history, of the sweep of this country's progress over 70 years. It's why I think she should be Elizabeth the Great, by the way, because if you look at what happened to this country in her reign, the immeasurable advances in prosperity, in opportunity, in longevity, whatever your metric is.
"Because of all that, she was able to reassure, and no matter how bad things were, she would always encourage you."
Boris Johnson, who was forced to resign after a series of scandals, including partygate, has been prominent among the politicians paying tribute to the Queen following her death on Thursday.
The late monarch's state funeral will take place on Monday 19 September, and will also be a bank holiday across the UK.
The public will be able to pay their respects in both Edinburgh and London over the coming days as she lies in state ahead of the ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
This week, OK! celebrates the life of Her Majesty the Queen with a commemorative special in honour of Britain's longest reigning monarch. Be sure to pick up your copy.
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