Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

Meghan Markle And Prince Harry Thank ‘Mazel Tov’ Well-Wisher

(JTA) — When Edna Levi looked through her mail on Sunday, she was shocked to find an envelope delivered from Buckingham Palace. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the soon-to-be-married British royal couple, had answered her letter.

Levi, who lives outside Leeds and is in her 80s, had sent the couple a note of congratulations after their recent engagement, The Yorkshire Evening Post reported.

“Dear Prince,” Levi, a member of the Leeds Jewish community, had written in her note. “I’m British-born but a member of the Jewish faith and we say Mazel Tov on a happy occasion. This is why I am saying it to you and wishing you well and good health.”

Levi’s sentiments left the British royal and his American actress fiancee “incredibly touched.”

“It really was most thoughtful of you and greatly appreciated,” the couple wrote in response. “His Royal Highness and Ms. Markle send you their warmest thanks and very best wishes.”

Levi was elated to hear back.

“I didn’t think I would get a reply because they must get hundreds of letters sent, so I was thrilled,” she said. “I’ve never written to the royal family before but I like Prince Harry because of the way he looks after charities, he’s a nice, normal young man.”

Last year, several media outlets wrote that Markle’s father was Jewish, repeating a claim made in a British tabloid article. Markle had been married to Jewish film producer Trevor Engelson, but the actress’ publicist confirmed to JTA that she is not a member of the tribe.

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.

In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.

At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.

Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly. 

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.