Inside the fairy tale engagement and wedding of Princess Diana, 41 years on

Diana, Princess of Wales would have celebrated her 60th birthday on July 1, 2021, but tragically her life was cut short in 1997.

To honour her legacy, 9Honey paid tribute to Diana by looking back at some of the key moments from her life in a special edition video series called Talking Honey.

That includes where it all began – Diana's engagement to Prince Charles and their royal wedding, which took place 41 years ago this week.

READ MORE: 41 years on: Moments the world missed from Charles and Diana's wedding

The world was captivated when Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer on February 24, 1981.

Just five months later, on July 29, 1981, they married – and more people tuned in to watch their royal wedding than the moon landing.

READ MORE: How Princess Diana used the media to her advantage: 'That was her power'

"Everyone had been waiting for many years as to who Charles might choose as his future bride and she was the one," former magazine editor-in-chief Deborah Thomas said in a special edition of Talking Honey.

Diana was given the opportunity to think over Charles' proposal during a top secret visit to Australia before their engagement was announced.

But the future Princess of Wales later said in her engagement interview, it wasn't a difficult decision in the end".

READ MORE: Princess Diana's 'secret' visit to Australia before she became the most famous woman in the world

Their wedding remains one of the most – if not the most – iconic royal weddings of all time and the biggest the British royal family had seen for decades.

Diana's wedding dress was a closely guarded secret and designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel "had to keep it in a safe in their office, they were so worried about details leaking out" royal author Juliet Rieden told 9Honey.

However, with so much hype came "enormous pressure" and a nervous Diana made a glaring mistake during the ceremony.

READ MORE: How Princess Diana's warm approach to being a mum paved the way for other royal parents

"It was the first time the cameras had been allowed in… it really was such an event, an amazing thing to witness," Nine's Mark Burrows says.

"[But] she must have been absolutely mortified."

Watch the video above to relive the fairy tale engagement and wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.