RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — From England to here in Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth II’s death has touched many all across the world.

“It’s the kind of sense of unreal really at the moment,” said Sally Webb. She owns The Special Event Company in Apex.

She met the queen almost 30 years ago while organizing a royal visit.

“You had to call her your majesty the first time you spoke with her and then after your majesty she was always ma’am, and you couldn’t hold your hand out to her until she held her hand out.”

Webb says she was in awe.

“We went to several different locations during the day and every time we went to a different location she said to me, ‘it’s going very well, you must be very pleased,’ and I said, ‘yes ma’am’ and we had the same conversation every single stop, so she clearly has her very stark answers,” said Webb. “I spent about 6 hours with her, and it was really interesting the observations on her life and how hard she worked and how I just would not want that job, how every day of her life she had to be just on all the time.”

It’s the Queen’s work ethic that Julia Carpenter admired too.

“She’s always been the rock that was there, that solid and firm post that held it all together that we looked to, and she’s always been our strength,” said Carpenter.

She’s a member of the Daughters of the British Empire In North Carolina and grew up about a half hour from Windsor Castle.

“I think the queen had such high standards for all of us. Every time she went out in the public she was dressed perfectly– from her hat to her clothing, shoes. I think she understood that this was a job and she took it on and she never failed. She was a constant in our lives and she will never be forgotten,” said Carpenter.

Both of these women say it is a shock that she’s gone and she will be missed.

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