Was Princess Diana a Philadelphia Eagles fan?
NFL gear is not generally considered the epitome of haute couture.
But Princess Diana, one of the most-watched women of the 20th century, was known for wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jacket during the 1990s, paired with anything from blue jeans to black dresses.
With the Eagles preparing for a trip to London this week to face the Jacksonville Jaguars, NBC Sports Philadelphia revisited the odd pairing of the royal family and American football.
Writer: Eagles statistician gave Diana her jacket
Pro Football Hall of Fame writer Ray Didinger explained that Diana got a hold of her Eagles jacket after a well-connected Eagles statistician heard of her admiration for the team’s logo.
That statistician, Jack Edelstein, was friends with actress Grace Kelly’s brother Jack Kelly and dated Marilyn Monroe, according to the Associated Press.
“Through Jack and Grace, Edelstein got to know some of the royals in England,” Didinger told NBCSP. “He found out that Princess Diana — not that she was a football fan or even knew anything about football — was sort of charmed by the Eagles logo. She thought the Eagle in flight was a graceful looking logo.
“That got back to Jack, and he decided to send her a nice gift with the Eagles logo on it. So he sent her one of those really handsome jackets with the logo on it. She wore it a lot actually. There was a photo of her wearing it taken and it wound up on the cover of People magazine. It totally came out of the blue. That Eagles jacket became a very hot fashion item. Not just in Philadelphia but all over the place.”
As it turns out, Diana was not a rabid Eagles fan. She just liked their gear.
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