Ottawa - The first time Rowana Griffiths met Prince William was on the night before his wedding, when the then groom-to-be and his brother Harry did an impromptu walkabout, meeting well-wishers gathered outside Clarence House.

When the Ottawa woman had a second encounter with William on Thursday, she was astounded to learn that the prince remembered their first meeting.

"He was joking with me that maybe I was one of the revelers that kept them up," Griffiths told CTV. "And he remembered -- ‘You're the one that had a posh hat on and now you're wearing a fascinator today!' So it was lots of fun."

Griffiths was one of many among the throngs of royal watchers gathered at Rideau Hall on Thursday who had a connection to the couple.

Brenda Hoerle first met William's parents when they visited in 1981, when she was working as a reporter in Ottawa.

The couple visited the newly-opened Ottawa police station, and split up to go down opposite sides of the street and greet well-wishers.

"Diana was called to the other side of the street. Charles came up to us and he said, ‘I'm sorry but you'll have to settle for me,'" Hoerle said.

The Ottawa woman then had a chance to chat -- albeit briefly -- with Prince Charles, William's father.

"He asked me, ‘Have you been standing here long in the heat?' To which I could only respond, ‘Yes.' We shook hands, got a great picture of him and off he went."

William, who was just one year old at the time, wasn't with the couple. But Hoerle said the current visit provides a new opportunity to connect with the royal family: "The baby is all married and coming back to Canada to visit. So we're very excited to come. Absolutely."

Shirley Erkila, from Sudbury, Ont., also shared a connection with the couple that dated back to their wedding in London.

Erkila, who wore a replica of Kate's engagement ring on Friday, was in London for the couple's wedding. She and her companions spent 26 hours camped out outside Buckingham Palace, watching celebrities and dignitaries arriving, then departing hours later, and witnessed the couple's first public kiss as a married couple.

As a part of the Commonwealth, she said, it's important to honour the future king of Canada.

"I really want to be part of everything, part of the celebration. I'm glad they chose Canada.

"We're excited. It's better than watching it on TV," Erkila said.