The Story Behind Princess Diana’s Philadelphia Eagles Jacket: Former Bodyguard Ken Wharfe Tells All on ESPN’s ‘Sunday NFL Countdown’ Special
Princess Diana is considered one of the most influential fashion icons of all time — and now one of her standout pieces, a Philadelphia Eagles varsity jacket — is getting the star treatment on a special edition of “Sunday NFL Countdown” on ESPN.
The television show will interview her former bodyguard Ken Wharfe, and tell the story behind the Eagles jacket, which Diana publicly wore in the ’90s: how she got it, its significance and what it said about her personal style. She wore the jacket on the cover of People Magazine in June 1994.
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Wharfe will speak publicly about the jacket and why Diana kept it for so long — she received it in the ’80s and wasn’t seen wearing it publicly until the ’90s. Wharfe served as personal bodyguard for Diana and her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, from 1988 to 1993.
In addition to Wharfe, the special will also feature Marnie Schneider, the granddaughter of former Eagles’ owner’s granddaughter, Leonard Tose, who gifted Diana the jacket when he owned the team. Victoria Murphy, a journalist covering the royal family, will also appear in the segment.
As the former Princess of Wales and ex-wife of England’s then-Prince Charles, now King Charles III, Princess Diana was one of the most watched women in the world until her untimely passing in 1997.
She is credited with helping to further catapult the career of Gianni Versace, the popularity of the Lady Dior Bag, which was named after her as she was Lady Diana Spencer before marrying Prince Charles, and the success of the knitwear label Warm & Wonderful. In September, the princess’ black sheep sweater from Warm & Wonderful she wore in 1981 fetched more than $1 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
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