- A timeless icon making a statement!
- Princess Diana wore Philadelphia Eagles jacket
- Her former bodyguard shared never-before-heard insights
The late Princess of Wales, Princess Diana, raised eyebrows when she was spotted wearing a Philadelphia Eagles varsity jacket in the 1990s. However, her choice likely had nothing to do with a passion for American football or the City of Brotherly Love.
Exploring Diana' style
Princess Diana's unique sporty fashion statement is the focus of an upcoming feature on 'ESPN''s Sunday NFL Countdown, airing around noon ET on Sunday. The segment coincides with the Philadelphia football team's reintroduction of their throwback Kelly Green uniforms. In it, Princess Diana's former bodyguard, Ken Wharfe, opens up for the first time about the significance of the jacket in her royal wardrobe. Wharfe served as the personal protection officer for Princess Diana and her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, from 1988 to 1993, a period that included the years Diana was photographed wearing the jacket on school runs.
A quest for normalcy
Wharfe explains that Diana always sought a sense of normalcy, which was a challenge given her royal status. Neither of her sons, William or Harry, wanted their mother to dress in formal attire when taking them to school. Instead, she aimed to appear as casual as possible.
“And it wasn't there to impress the people at school. She wanted to be seen as a young mother that was, you know, 'with it,' ” he continues of the princess. "Diana loved to be different, this was her style. It sort of showed the public and her children that she was a normal mother in a style that people liked."
Princess Diana's fashion statement made waves after a photo of her wearing the green Eagles jacket graced the pages of 'PEOPLE' magazine in June 1994. She wore it during a day trip to Alton Towers Theme Park with Prince William and Prince Harry. 'The Eagles' team owner, Jeffrey Lurie, even enlarged the cover image for display in his office at Veterans Stadium.
The mystery persists
While the royal origin of Princess Diana's custom Eagles coat is well-documented, its current whereabouts remain unknown. According to Wharfe, the ongoing curiosity surrounding why a British princess sported an American football team's letterman jacket would amuse Diana if she were alive today.
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“This jacket wasn't just on a floor of her wardrobe in a palace. If Diana were alive today, she'd be excited to know that this jacket, 25, 30 years on, has now become the subject of very positive public scrutiny. I think that's fantastic,” Wharfe reflects.
