The childhood hopes of the High Court's first Asian woman judge to reach dizzy heights in her career have been revealed during her swearing-in ceremony.

But her dream of a high-flying job had nothing to do with the law - she wanted to be an astronaut.

Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas, who welcomed Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb to her new role at a courtroom ceremony, joked: "Nasa's loss is our gain."

The appointment of Bobbie Cheema-Grubb QC as a High Court judge was announced last month, and today judges and lawyers gathered at the Royal Courts of Justice in central London to hear her take the oath and to wish her luck in her new position.

The Derby-born 49-year-old was called to the Bar in 1989 and took silk in 2013.

When Mrs Justice May is sworn in next month, it will take the number of women in the High Court to 23 out of a total of 108 (21%) - the highest figure ever.

The number has more than doubled compared to a decade ago, when there were 10.

There is one other Asian High Court judge - Mr Justice Singh.

Lord Thomas said in a speech on diversity in Leeds last month: "The position in the senior judiciary has greatly changed in the past 10 years.

"In 2005 there were two female judges in the Court of Appeal, but now we have eight.

"In the High Court in 2005 there were 10 women, and now there are 21.

"There has been a steady increase in the number of female circuit judges to one in five; and more than half of all judges in courts and tribunals under 40 years of age are women."