Bindi Irwin pens touching open letter to late father Steve Irwin about engagement

Bindi Irwin "wishes" her late father Steve Irwin could see her get married.

The Crocodile Hunter star tragically passed away in 2006 after he was pierced in the heart by a stingray barb whilst filming a documentary.

Sharing a touching message to her father, Bindi took to Instagram with an open letter about her upcoming nuptials, which will see her younger brother, Robert, walking her down the aisle.

"Dad, You would be so incredibly proud of Robert. He has been such an amazing support during this beautiful new life chapter," Bindi wrote alongside an old family photo. "I know you’d be beaming with pride when the time comes that he walks me down the aisle. I wish you could be here for these moments, but I know that your spirit lives on in us."

After Steve's 21-year-old daughter announced her engagement to partner Chandler Powell, she described the moment in which Chandler proposed was "bittersweet" because her father wasn’t there to "get excited" about their impending wedding.

She said: "It’s been really challenging. It’s kind of one of the happiest times in my life, but also one of the most challenging. It was genuinely a bittersweet time. In the moment it was so incredibly special, but then at the same time, for me on a personal note, there’s … there’s people who I really wish could be here today for this time in my life. Particularly dad. I wish that he could be here to be getting excited and welcoming Chandler to the family."

Bindi also revealed that knows Steve "would have loved" Chandler.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she added: "Dad would have loved Chandler so much. He would’ve been so excited that he’s now part of our family."

The conservationist also explained that she wants her 15-year-old brother Robert to walk her down the aisle on her big day, as she believes that’s what her father would want too.

She said: "I think that for me, it'll be really important that Robert walks me down the aisle. That's something that I really want to do.

"I'm always so grateful that Robert is there, and he has been such a big part of my life and he's always stepped up and been the one to give me a hug when I need it and encourage me forward in life.

"So he will definitely be the one to walk me down the aisle when the time comes, and I think that will make it really special.

"And I think that's what dad would have wanted as well."

- Bang! Showbiz, additional reporting by The Hits