She’s engaged to a prince and spent Christmas going to church and being introduced to the Royal Family’s celebrations at Sandringham. But perhaps there is a little of the Jewish Princess in the newly engaged Meghan Markle.
There have been many rumours that Markle – whose real first name is Rachel and whose first husband was of the faith – is actually Jewish. These are, sadly, completely unfounded. But this 2005 picture shows Markle wearing a T shirt that suggests there is a haimishe side to Prince Harry’s fiancée.
"Chai maintenance" – with its double meaning of “chai” (written in Hebrew) meaning “life” and the word it sounds like: “high” - is emblazoned on her chest, as she poses at a pre-Emmy event. These T-shirts are hard to find in the UK, but commonplace in the US. As American Jewish weekly The Forward put it in 2012, “ubiquitous and glittery Chai Maintenance shirts are sported by every bubbie in Miami-Dade.”
2005 was the year after she met her former husband. So could the T shirt have been a gift from him - or even his mum?
Although we’d love to claim her as one of ours, the shirt changes nothing. But we’re still expecting Harry and Meghan to sport red Kabbalah bands sometime soon…..
