Getting up at 4 a.m. is nothing for 90-year-old who stood all night for Charles and Diana

Doreen Henderson will get up before dawn to watch Prince Harry and Meghan Marklemarry, but the 90-year-old New Brunswicker has gone to much greater lengths to see a royal wedding.

Sheflew to London, walked for kilometres through the night, and stood for hours just to get a glimpse of Diana Spencer on her way to the wedding that would see her title changed to Princess.

"We both just loved Diana, just thought she was so beautiful, but thought she was too young."

Doreen said that a week before the wedding on July 29, 1981, she got a call from Lois Weldon, a travel agent whohad managed to find two plane tickets and a hotel room. Weldon, who died in 2008, was my grandmother.

Lois wanted her best friend, Doreen,to go to London with her.

"I have to know right away," she told Doreen. "Will you go or not? Please say yes."

"So I said, OK," said Doreen.

Once in London andsettled at their hotel, the two set out in comfortable shoes, warm sweaters and a pair of pants, which Doreen said was notable "because at that time people weren't wearing as many slacks as they do today."

Around 11 p.m., she said, the streets were busy and she and Lois tried to hire a taxi.

"We asked him, 'Would you please take us downtown?' and he said, 'Lady, there isn't enough money in London to entice me to drive down there.'"

He told the women they'd have to walk, which they did.

"It was mayhem really," Doreen said.

NearClarence House, the pair scoped out a spot around 1 a.m.They had been told Diana Spencer would be spending the night there.

Then they waited.

"We stood," Doreen said. "There was no way we could sit down, [people] were pushing and pushing.

"The crowd was happy, happy everyone was singing."

Just beforethe procession to the wedding began, Doreen and Lois decided they needed to be in the front row if they were going to see Diana.

"It was difficult, but we had our eye on the spot right at the gates."

Oncepeople in the area found out the two friends were from Canada, they were helped to the front. Many carriages passed, including the Queen's. She is one of Doreen's favourite royals.

But the last carriage was the one everyone had come to see. To shouts of, 'Here they come, here they come,' Diana and her father passed by.

"This dress just filled the carriage," Doreen said. "She was just lovely. She waved."

Speakers lined the streets to allow people along the route to hear the ceremony.

"When they said their I do's, the crowd just erupted in cheers. Oh dear, it was funny."

After the wedding, throngs of people headed toward the balcony at Buckingham Palace to see the newlyweds wave and kiss, but Doreen and Lois decided they needed to rest their feet after a sleepless night.

"We got back to the hotel," Doreen said. "They had vending machines and one of them had champagne and we said, 'to heck' and we put the money in, got the bottle of Champagne and went up to our room."

Once they had collapsed on their beds, "we turned the television on and drank our Champagne to the bride and groom."

Charles and Diana were eventually divorced, and Diana died in 1997.

Doreen, who intends to be up at 4 a.m. Saturday for the wedding ofHarry and Meghan, said she wishes the couple all the best.

"I think she's a very nice girl and I think she's perfect for Harry. With a laugh Doreen added: "He's a little on the wild side, I think it's good."