What’s the story behind the iconic Philadelphia Eagles’ ‘Princess Diana’ jacket and how can you get one?
In tribute to the late Princess of Wales and her favorite color, the Eagles are set to sell the very same iconic team jacket once worn by her years ago.
In a move that will likely garner interest both stateside and across the pond, the Philadelphia Eagles are honoring a memory of not just Princess Diana, but a moment that she shared with the team as well.
Philadelphia Eagles to sell ‘Princess Diana jacket’
For many years now, both Philadelphia Eagles fans and Royal family enthusiasts have been aching for a chance to own one of the team’s jackets, which was made famous by the late Princess Diana when she was featured on the cover of People magazine in 1994. At long last, the wait is over with reports confirming that the Eagles are set to make a replica of the 1990s Kelly green letterman jacket available to the public as of Thursday. It is understood that the jacket will feature a vintage Eagles logo with silver sleeves, a look that has been described by the franchise as “Authentic. Iconic. Timeless.” Additionally, the team will also be auctioning one of the jackets with an autograph from center Jason Kelce in an effort to raise money for the Eagles Autism Foundation.
OK, but was Princess Diana a fan of the Eagles?
While we don’t know whether she rooted for Philly’s team or not, what we do know is that she did in fact have a connection with the team. For starters, the team’s silver and green color palette was known to be her favorite. How she actually came to be in possession of the jacket, however, is an interesting story. As the account goes, the princess met and formed a bond with former Eagles statistician Jack Edelstein in 1992 at the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco – former actress Grace Kelly, a Philadelphia native and family friend of Edelstein’s. It was then that Edelstein reportedly promised to send her some Eagles merchandise in her favorite colors, something that franchise owner Leonard Tose took seriously at the time. “She’s a princess, you can’t send her just T-shirts, we’ve got to do something special for this woman,” disclosed Tose’s grandaughter, Marnie Schneider. As we know today, the jacket was made and then delivered, and an iconic look was born. Interestingly, the jacket was featured in a segment from ESPN that aired last week during the Jaguars vs Bills game in London.
Want one of the ‘Princess Diana’ jackets for yourself?
If you’re interested in getting one of the jackets, you can probably guess that it won’t come cheap and that’s if you can get your hands on one. Though they are set to go on sale on Thursday, November 9th, at the Eagles Pro Shop, demand is extremely high as evidenced by the Mitchell & Ness and Fanatics websites. Indeed, there is already a link for the jacket on Mitchell & Ness’ UK site, however, as of Thursday morning it was listed as “out of stock.” Regarding the price, the jacket is retailing for £340 or $417.