In a remarkable resurgence of interest, the iconic Kelly green Philadelphia Eagles varsity jacket associated with Princess Diana has captured headlines once more. Originally gifted in the early 1990s, the jacket has re-entered public view through limited restocks in late 2024 and early 2025, reigniting widespread fascination at the intersection of royalty, sports, and personal style. Recent articles explore its origins, cultural resonance, and commercial revival, as detailed by CBS Philadelphia, Patch, Town & Country, and People
Stay tuned for more updates as the Princess Diana Philadelphia Eagles Jacket continue their journey towards greatness in the NFL.
1. Back in Stock: The 2024 Re‑Release
In December 2024, Mitchell & Ness, the renowned vintage sportswear brand, announced the re-release of a replica of Princess Diana’s Eagles varsity jacket. The restock occurred on Thursday, December 5, 2024, at 10 a.m. EST, both online and in-store at the Mitchell & Ness flagship location in Philadelphia and Eagles Pro Shops.
The jacket had previously sold out rapidly during its first limited edition release, prompting intense demand. Notoriously, celebrities such as Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson engaged in a bidding war over a signed edition, ultimately securing it with a combined bid of $100,000 for charity. Retail pricing for the replica was set at $400, and resale listings on platforms like Fanatics and StockX re-emerged shortly after the restock sold out.
Mitchell & Ness framed the restock as an opportunity to own “a piece that represents the intersectionality of fashion, sport and royalty.” They limited purchases to one jacket per customer, and suggested ordering one size smaller than typical fit, due to the jacket’s oversized vintage cut.
2. The Jacket’s Royal Origins
The story starts in 1982, at the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco, who was born and raised in Philadelphia. Among the guests was Jack Edelstein, an Eagles statistician. During a conversation, Princess Diana asked Edelstein what the team colors were. Upon learning they were green and silver, she replied they were her “favorite” colors — despite her having no knowledge of American football.
Inspired by her remark, the Eagles — led by owner Leonard Tose — decided to send her more than T‑shirts. Instead, Diana received a custom-made Eagles varsity jacket, along with team-branded hats, T‑shirts, and workout shorts. She later reportedly wrote Edelstein a thank-you note, praising the items and confirming she wore them often.
Photos circulated of Diana wearing the green and silver jacket while touring with her sons Prince William and Prince Harry — including at Alton Towers Theme Park and during a school drop-off in London in January 1991. A memorable image even appeared on the cover of People magazine in June 1994, cementing the jacket’s status as an iconic fashion moment.
3. Fashion, Normalcy & Public Persona
Though photographed frequently in the Eagle’s jacket, Diana was not a sports fan — rather, her connection stemmed from her embrace of casual, relatable style. According to her former bodyguard Ken Wharfe, Diana “craved the normalcy” that her royal status denied her. She preferred dressing down while doing everyday tasks, such as taking her sons to school.
Biographer Andrew Morton commented that Diana knew little about American sports, suggesting she wore the jacket more for the look it conveyed than any team allegiance.
Merrill Reese, the Eagles’ longtime announcer, summed up the connection with the fan base: “If Diana was somehow an Eagles fan, she would be one of us.” The sentiment underscores how her adoption of the jacket resonates across both sports culture and royal fandom.
4. Cultural Legacy & Contemporary Significance
Although the original jacket’s whereabouts remain unknown, its legacy endures. The People cover and repeated photographic sightings ensure the jacket remains ingrained as a symbol of royal informality meeting American sports culture.
Articles published in early 2025 — months after the restock — revisited the story with renewed interest. Patch, for example, published in February 2025, revisiting how Diana’s eagle‑colored moment began and emphasizing her unintentional yet enduring connection to Philadelphia. Town & Country, likewise in February 2025, explored Diana’s broader style motives and the symbolic meaning behind the jacket’s design and color palette.
5. Community & Fan Excitement
When the replica dropped in December 2024, fans flocked both online and in-store. CBS Philadelphia highlighted shoppers describing the jacket as “the most iconic jacket” in Philadelphia, with individuals leaving work early or traveling just to purchase one.
Social media responses and Instagram announcements from Mitchell & Ness further emphasized the excitement: “Don’t miss your second chance at a piece that represents the intersectionality of fashion, sport and royalty.” The company’s Instagram post added urgency and romanticized the jacket’s meaning as a holiday collectible for Eagles fans and fashion seekers alike.
The resale and auction of a signed jacket edition raised over $100,000 for the Eagles Autism Foundation, involving a friendly bidding tug-of-war between McElhenney and Olson — a testament to the jacket’s crossover appeal in pop culture, charity, and celebrity circles.
7. Why the Hype Continues
Fashion historians, royal watchers, and NFL fans continue to revisit the story because it captures a striking confluence of themes:
- Royalty meeting pop culture: A princess embracing an American football team’s colors blurs cultural and geographic divides.
- Timeless aesthetics: Diana’s effortless style looked forward to today’s athleisure era — blazers meet ball jerseys in everyday outings.
- Emotional resonance: For Eagles fans, the gesture feels personal — a worldwide figure choosing green and silver.
- Storytelling through garments: The jacket tells a tale about identity, generosity, and cross-cultural connection.
8. What’s Latest (As of August 2025)
To date — August 2, 2025 — the most recent restock remains the one from December 5, 2024. No further restocks or official drops have been announced since then. Articles throughout early 2025 revisited the jacket’s history and cultural context, but did not confirm any new release dates or stock availability beyond that December drop.
While the jacket may appear on resale or secondary markets like StockX and eBay, any available pieces are linked to previous editions rather than a newly produced batch.
9. Conclusion: A Royal Symbol Endures
This latest wave of news — encompassing the December 2024 restock, celebrity auction, and renewed editorial attention in early 2025 — reinforces how a single garment can bridge worlds. Princess Diana’s Eagles jacket now stands as an enduring emblem: a royal gift turned fashion legend turned collectible.
Whether you’re drawn by celebrity lore, sports nostalgia, holiday shopping, or the simple allure of a green-and-silver sweat piece with a story, the jacket continues to fascinate. Reissued once more, it secured its place in both fashion history and modern fandom — one limited drop at a time.