Starting on July 10, Princess Diana’s personal trainer, Jenni Rivett, put up the royal’s cherished workout sweatshirt for sale on RR Auction. The shirt was part of the iconic look the princess of Wales sported to fitness classes three times a week and had been in the possession of her trainer for over two decades. Now, it can be yours (if you can afford it, of course).
But Princess Di didn’t just consistently wear the navy Virgin Atlantic pullover because she was a fan of the airline’s Varga Girl logo.
“She was tired of the media speculating about her clothes when there were more important things happening in the world,” Rivett explained to the New York Post in an interview.
Because she couldn’t dodge the hounding paparazzi on the way to her fitness classes, Diana crafted the ingenious idea of boring them instead by wearing the same outfit every time. So she stuck with the Varga Girl sweatshirt, a gift from Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin airlines.
Rivett estimated the shirt to be worth at least $5,000. Currently, the highest bid is almost at $43,000. The proceeds, however, are not for her own personal gain. Rivett plans on donating the money to fund a Malawian girl’s education.
She fondly recalls the princess’ generosity, noting that “causes in Africa were always very close to her heart.”
Rivett was Diana’s trainer from 1990 to 1997 and taught the classes she attended in Chelsea, West London weekly. She also tagged along with the princess on power walks and Rollerblading through a park by her home in Kensington Palace. When Diana was not occupied with supporting dozens of charities, “she was very focused and committed to her exercise regime.”
Before her untimely passing, she gifted Rivett with this sweatshirt, among a few others. The Virgin pullover will now belong to the highest bidder, along with two handwritten letters from Rivett, and a small gift tag signed by the princess herself. Hopefully the lucky bidder will honor Princess Diana’s memory by taking care of this historical piece of clothing.
If you had an unlimited amount of money, would you bid for this never-been-washed royal sweatshirt? Let us know in the comments!
