For Bindi Irwin and Chandler Powell, planning their wedding should be the happiest time of their lives, but Woman’s Day is told a family feud is brewing between their parents, and it’s threatening to uproot their impending nuptials.
While the 21-year-old bride’s beloved mum Terri rarely leaves the couple’s side, Chandler’s mum and dad Shannan and Chris barely get a look-in. And sources tell us Shannan is desperate for more time with her son.
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Chandler is marrying into the Irwin family.
(Image: @bindisueirwin/ Instagram)New family
“Chandler lives with the Irwins, works with them and is about to become one of them, to the point where he may as well take on Bindi’s last name rather than the other way around. Shannan’s beginning to feel like she’s losing precious time with her boy,” says our insider.
“She’s been OK with it to a point because she knows the most important thing is her son’s happiness, but recently he flew to the US and spent almost all of his time with the Irwins.”
Chandler’s family live just outside of Tampa, Florida, a short flight from New York – where Chandler, 22, was helping his future mother-in-law promote their show Crikey! It’s the Irwins and he’s not even on the promos.
WATCH: Bindi and Terri Irwin break down in TV interview. Story continues below…
“Chandler spends all his time on the other side of the world and yet there he was, two hours from his family, and the Irwins take precedent. It’s making Shannan’s blood boil,” says our source. “The least they could do is put Chandler on the TV show poster.”
And it doesn’t help that Chandler can’t stop gushing about his new “family” – he says Terri – along with Bindi’s brother Robert – are “the most supportive people in the entire world”.
In fact, he virtually got down on bended knee to ask their permission to marry Bindi, putting on an intimate picnic in the Australia Zoo gardens.
Shannan (pictured right with Chandler, Bindi and family) wants more time with her son.
(Image: @chandlerpowell/ Instagram)Chandler described the moment as “really, really special” and says being part of their unit has been “the best adventure of my entire life”.
His joy would normally bring happiness to his family but the source says his most recent comments have been hard for Shannan to handle.
“It’s understandable she’s feeling rejected. Her son has hardly mentioned them in his wedding plans, and she feels it’s important he knows how sad she is,” another source explains.
“Of course, she’s read all the stories in the news about how Terri turns her back on her own family if they disagree with her, so she’s nervous about how to handle this one. Shannan doesn’t want to say back away from my son because she can’t risk losing him all together.”
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Chandler fits right in with Bindi’s Australia Zoo family.
(Image: Getty)Losing a son
The insider adds Shannan hoped to have more involvement in the wedding, but it’s all on Irwin turf and she feels like Chandler’s side of the family will be nothing more than onlookers.
“It’s difficult for Shannan – she feels she doesn’t know Bindi well yet Terri calls Chandler her son already,” says the source.
“She expects to lose her son to the woman he’s going to marry but not to his mother-in-law.”
