Why Did Princess Diana Wear a Philadelphia Eagles Jacket Despite Knowing “Nothing About American Football”

Long before there was even an online platform to go ‘viral’ on, the late Princess Diana was routinely breaking headlines with her timely yet audacious fashion statements. From her wedding dress to her infamous ‘revenge dress,’ Diana’s looks were as timeless as herself.

Nevertheless, American football fans are likely most familiar with the instance in which she publicly dawned a Philadelphia Eagles jacket in 1991.  Today, the iconic photo of the late royal family member helps to add a sense of prestige and class to a fanbase that is otherwise composed of working men and women. 

Ironically enough, however, the Princess of Wales didn’t know a lick about American football. She just so happened to like the colors green and silver. 

According to Marnie Schneider, the granddaughter of the Eagles’ former owner, Leonard Tose, confirmed as much during an interview with ESPN. Schneider recalled that a statistician by the name of Jack Edelstein, who worked for her father in Philadelphia, grew up with Grace Kelly, a former actress and then Princess of Monaco. 

Princess Diana in her Philadelphia Eagles jacket. pic.twitter.com/X6TARFWRXs

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) February 11, 2023

After Kelly met an untimely death in an automobile-related accident, Edelstein and Princess Diana crossed paths at her funeral, where he would discover the truth about her perceived fandom for Philadelphia. 

“While having a conversation with Princess Diana, he discovered that she knew nothing about American football, but that she loved the colors green and silver,” Schneider noted. 

While it may be a bit superficial, Diana’s fashion choice from that day still serves as an instance in which American culture seemingly struck back at its predecessors in the United Kingdom. Thankfully, for their sake, Prince Harry made sure to hand a receipt to the National Football League by jokingly suggesting that the United States had “…stolen rugby from us.“

The Duke of Sussex made a surprise appearance at the NFL Honors awards show last year, and he made sure to make the most of his appearance by sarcastically highlighting all of the not-so-brilliant amendments that the Americans seemed to have haphazardly added along the way. 

“You made it your own. Instead of passing it backwards, just pass it forward. Why not wear pads and helmet? Of course, have an offense and defense. That makes sense. And why not take a breather every 15 seconds? And you know what? Instead of a 10-month season, let’s just make 18 weeks. Genius.”

While there’s a historical undertone to every bit of this banter, Harry’s appearance from 2024 reminds us that at the end of the day, it’s nothing more than a good bit of sports-related banter between two of the most premier nations in the world. Then again, the NFL is slowly expanding its presence on the international stage, so perhaps London should prepare itself for the cultural onslaught that Roger Goodell is currently preparing.