It was 1991. The location? A rainy sidewalk outside the Wetherby School in London. Most people were looking at Prince William, but the photographers caught something else. Diana Spencer, the Princess of Wales, wasn't wearing a royal trench coat or a prim blazer. She was wearing a massive, oversized, green and silver Philadelphia Eagles varsity jacket.
She looked cool.
Honestly, she looked more like a suburban mom from Pennsylvania than the future Queen of England. This wasn't a mistake. It wasn't a random thrift store find, either. The Princess Diana Eagles jacket is perhaps the most calculated "casual" outfit in fashion history, and it has absolutely nothing to do with her being a closeted football fan.
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The Weird Way a Statistician Gave Diana Her Favorite Coat
You’d think a royal would get her custom gear through a high-level diplomatic exchange. Nope. The story of how she got the jacket is actually pretty mundane, which makes it better.
Jack Edelstein, a longtime statistician for the Philadelphia Eagles and a friend of Grace Kelly, met Diana at Kelly’s funeral in 1982. They started chatting. Diana wasn't interested in the nuances of the West Coast offense or the Eagles' defensive line. She just liked colors. She told Edelstein that green and silver were her favorite colors.
He promised to send her some gear.
Edelstein went back to Philly, grabbed a custom-made bomber jacket—the kind with the old-school Eagle logo on the back and the "P" on the chest—and shipped it across the Atlantic. Most gifts to royals end up in a dusty archive or a basement in Sandringham. Not this one. Diana actually wore it. Repeatedly. She wore it to drop the kids off at school. She wore it to Alton Towers theme park. She even wore it on the cover of People magazine in 1994.
Why the Princess Diana Eagles Jacket Broke the Royal Rules
Royal fashion is usually a language of diplomacy. If you’re visiting Canada, you wear a maple leaf. If you’re at a gala, you wear the family tiara. By wearing an NFL jacket, Diana was communicating something totally different.
She was humanizing herself.
At the time, the British tabloids were tearing her apart. The marriage to Charles was disintegrating. By opting for American sportswear, she was signaling a break from the stuffy, "Establishment" vibe of the House of Windsor. It was a bit of a "forgotten" era of her style that became legendary decades later.
Think about the silhouette. It was bulky. It was loud. It was quintessentially 90s. While the rest of the family was in Barbour wax jackets and tweed, Diana was leaning into the rising tide of streetwear. She was basically the first influencer to realize that a high-low mix—expensive jewelry paired with a sports team's merch—was the ultimate power move.
The Mystery of the Missing Jacket
Where is it now?
That's the million-dollar question. Many of Diana's most famous gowns were auctioned off for charity before she died. But the Eagles jacket? It didn't make the auction block.
Some rumors suggest it’s still held in a private collection by the Spencer family. Others think it might be tucked away in one of the princes' private wardrobes. Because it wasn't an "official" state garment, it didn't have the same tracking as her royal jewels. It’s a ghost.
But while the original is missing, the replicas are everywhere.
The 2023 Revival and the Mitchell & Ness Frenzy
For years, if you wanted a Princess Diana Eagles jacket, you had to scour eBay for vintage 90s starters that were usually falling apart at the seams. Then, in 2023, the Philadelphia Eagles and Mitchell & Ness decided to officially bring it back.
The hype was insane.
Lines wrapped around the Lincoln Financial Field pro shop. The website crashed almost instantly. Kylie Kelce—wife of Eagles legend Jason Kelce—was spotted wearing the reissue, which basically set the internet on fire. It proved that the jacket wasn't just a piece of sports memorabilia; it was a piece of pop culture history that crossed over into high fashion.
The reissue was technically a "varsity" style, featuring the same quilted lining and wool body with leather sleeves that Diana sported. It captured that specific forest green that looks different under paparazzi flashbulbs than it does in person.
Why It Works (and How to Style It)
The reason this jacket still works in 2026 is that it hits the "dad core" aesthetic perfectly. It’s bulky in the shoulders and tapered at the waist.
If you're trying to replicate the look, don't overthink it. Diana's genius was in the simplicity. She wore it with black leggings (or slim trousers) and a simple turtleneck. She didn't dress it up. She let the jacket be the entire personality of the outfit.
- Keep the bottom half slim. Because the jacket is so oversized, wearing baggy pants will make you look like you’re drowning in fabric.
- Go for vintage tones. The modern "Midnight Green" that the Eagles wear now is not the color Diana wore. She wore "Kelly Green," or a slightly darker variation of it.
- The Hair Matters. Part of the "Diana look" was the juxtaposition of her perfectly coiffed royal hair with the ruggedness of the NFL embroidery.
Common Misconceptions About the Jacket
People often think Diana was a secret American football fan. She wasn't. There is zero evidence she ever watched a full Eagles game or knew who the quarterback was. To her, it was a gift from a friend that happened to match her favorite color palette.
Another myth is that the jacket was a one-off custom piece just for her. While the one sent to her was specifically curated, the design itself was a standard team-issued style from the era. Thousands of Philly fans had similar jackets, they just didn't wear them with royal poise.
Actionable Steps for Collectors and Fans
If you're looking to snag a piece of this history, you've got three real paths:
- The Official Reissue: Keep an eye on the Mitchell & Ness website. They do limited drops of the "Kelly Green" collection. Expect to pay between $400 and $600 for a high-quality wool and leather version.
- The Vintage Hunt: Search for "90s Eagles Starter Jacket" on Grailed or Depop. Be warned: the prices for these have tripled since the 2023 reissue. Look for the "Apex One" or "Starter" tags to ensure it’s an authentic 90s cut.
- The Budget Alternative: High-street brands like Zara and H&M frequently release "Eagle-inspired" green varsity jackets during the fall season. It won't have the official NFL branding, but it catches the vibe for about $80.
The Princess Diana Eagles jacket is more than just team gear. It’s a reminder that even the most photographed woman in the world sometimes just wanted to throw on a big coat and feel a little bit normal. It represents a moment where the rigid lines of royalty blurred with the grit of American sports, creating a fashion moment that refused to die.
Check the stitching on any "authentic" vintage find. True 90s jackets used a heavy embroidery that has a distinct weight; if the patch feels like cheap plastic, it’s a modern knockoff. Look for the "Made in USA" tags on the inner side seam—that's the hallmark of the era Diana lived through.