David Foster and Katharine McPhee
David Foster

Music producer David Foster is pushing back on claims that he deliberately ignored Meghan Markle on the red carpet, after a widely shared video clip from his charity foundation's anniversary gala sparked days of speculation about tension between the two longtime friends.

The moment in question occurred August 7 at the 40th anniversary celebration for the David Foster Foundation, held in Victoria, British Columbia. Video circulating on social media showed Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, extending her hand toward Foster as he approached the red carpet alongside Prince Harry, only for Foster to continue past her and join his wife, singer and actress Katharine McPhee, for photos. Meghan was seen pulling her hand back and repositioning herself closer to Harry as the group posed for pictures.

The clip quickly went viral, with some social media users characterizing the moment as a deliberate snub. Foster addressed the speculation directly in a statement provided to People on August 12, saying the narrative surrounding the encounter had been distorted for attention. "As the host of the David Foster and Friends foundation event, I had already greeted our friends, the Duke and Duchess, at the entrance 10 minutes before the red carpet encounter," Foster said, adding that both Harry and Meghan had been generous with their time throughout the evening, engaging warmly with attendees.

Foster was direct in criticizing the coverage that followed. "It's sad that certain media chose to deceive a red carpet encounter for clickbait," the 76-year-old said. "They turned simple 'positioning' to get the best photo into a hurtful lie." He went on to affirm his relationship with the couple directly, saying, "Harry and Meghan are dear friends of mine. Anyone watching can see there was no awkward moment and certainly no snub."

Sources close to Foster offered a similar account to the Daily Mail in the days before his own statement, describing the moment as an unintentional oversight rather than any deliberate slight. One insider said Foster "genuinely just didn't see" Meghan on the carpet, adding that given his long-standing admiration for Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, he "would never snub either of them." The source characterized the encounter as simply "a genuine moment where he didn't see them and nobody really thought much of it," attributing the confusion in part to the divided attention that comes with hosting a major charity event. A separate insider told the outlet that Foster had in fact been "so excited to see Harry and Meghan" earlier that evening, pointing to the couple's status as longtime friends who also live near Foster and McPhee in Montecito, California.

Foster and Harry's friendship predates his relationship with Meghan by years, though Meghan and McPhee's connection stretches back even further. The two women attended high school together in Los Angeles before reconnecting as adults, a friendship that eventually brought their husbands together as well. McPhee described the closeness between Foster and Harry in a 2020 interview with Access Hollywood, saying, "My husband has a really, really beautiful relationship with Harry. They're so cute. They're like father and son." McPhee, 42, also reflected on her own history with Meghan, saying, "Meghan and I knew each other from childhood, but really Harry and my husband are friends. It's really nice."

The friendship between the two couples has extended beyond social gatherings in the past. Foster has said he personally helped Harry and Meghan secure a place to stay in Canada around the 2019 holiday season, shortly after the couple, along with their son Prince Archie, sought a period of respite outside the U.K. "I felt honored that I was able to help Meghan there, because I'm a Canadian and we're a commonwealth country, we're the Crown's," Foster told the Daily Mail at the time, adding that he was glad to help the family find a break from public life.

The viral moment and its aftermath arrive amid a period of continued heavy media scrutiny of Harry and Meghan's public appearances, with even brief, ambiguous interactions on a red carpet capable of generating days of speculation and commentary. The August 7 gala itself marked one of the couple's more prominent recent public outings, drawing attention both for Meghan's fashion choices on the night and for the broader significance of the event as a milestone celebration for one of Foster's longest-running philanthropic efforts.

With Foster's on-the-record statement now addressing the controversy directly, both he and representatives close to the family have sought to close the door on further speculation about the moment, framing it as an unremarkable product of a busy red carpet rather than any rift between the two families.

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