David Foster Breaks Silence on Meghan Markle Snub Claims

David Foster has pushed back against claims that he brushed off Meghan Markle on the red carpet, insisting there was no slight against his “dear friend.” The speculation began after the music producer was filmed at a charity event in Canada last Friday, moving toward the Duchess of Sussex as she stood beside Prince Harry. Meghan appeared to reach out warmly to welcome him, but Foster continued past her and took his place to the left of his wife, Katharine McPhee, for a group photograph. Meghan then discreetly lowered her arm behind her back before leaning in toward Harry for the shot — a brief exchange that quickly circulated online and sparked accusations of a red carpet snub.

Foster, however, has now rejected that interpretation, saying he had already greeted both Harry and Meghan around ten minutes earlier at the David Foster Foundation event in Victoria, British Columbia. In a statement to the Sussex-friendly US publication People, the 76-year-old explained: “As the host of the David Foster and Friends foundation event, I had already greeted our friends, the Duke and Duchess, at the entrance ten minutes before the red carpet encounter. They both, graciously and selflessly, gave their time and went beyond to engage with everyone. Harry and Meghan are dear friends of mine. Anyone watching can see there was no awkward moment and certainly no snub.”

He went on to criticise the way the clip had been framed, saying: “It’s sad that certain media chose to deceive a red carpet encounter for clickbait. They turned simple ‘positioning’ to get the best photo into a hurtful lie.” A representative for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex declined to comment to Our News Outlet today. The clarification follows comments from an insider who told the Mail yesterday that Foster “wanted Harry and Meghan there” and simply “genuinely just didn’t see” Meghan in that moment. “He’s always been a big fan of Diana and he’d never snub either of them,” the source said, referencing Prince Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. “It was a genuine moment where he didn’t see them and nobody really thought much of it. It’s nothing.” Another source also stressed that Foster was “so excited to see Harry and Meghan,” noting that he has been “longtime friends” with the Montecito-based couple.

According to the source, the much-discussed moment was purely accidental and likely happened because Foster was juggling the demands of hosting the evening. “As host of the evening, David had a lot going on. David was doing interviews in that moment too,” the insider said. They added that there had already been a warm exchange before the red carpet photo opportunity, saying: “They had already said hi before that photo moment. There were lots of hugs and David introduced Harry and Meghan to his other family there.” Body language expert Judi James also weighed in on the viral footage, telling the Mail that Meghan appeared to be in “pose alert” mode as Foster and McPhee made their way onto the red carpet.

James observed: “Smiling at David Foster, she graciously extends an arm with hand palm-up to sweep them onto the red carpet and into the pose beside her, beckoning and gesturing to announce that they should step in front of her as they do so. When Foster appears to walk past without replying to Meghan’s smile of greeting, she lowers her head and busies herself arranging her dress as an act of distraction. Meghan looks happy and slightly relieved when everyone has locked into her line-up and she returns to her professional mode – although Harry rather impolitely disrupts the arrangement by leaning back to chat to the man known as his ‘surrogate father’ behind the wives’ backs.”

James added that the Duchess then appeared to carry out “an act of realignment” by drawing Harry closer and laughing, which she suggested may have been intended to soften any impression that he was breaking the carefully arranged photo formation. Inside the venue, Harry and Meghan were clearly positioned as prominent guests, seated beside Foster and McPhee. The Duke of Sussex wore a classic black tuxedo with a bow tie, while Meghan chose a black one-shouldered maxi gown by Canadian designer Greta Constantine, completing the look with Princess Diana’s diamond and sapphire earrings. The David Foster Foundation supports Canadian families whose children require life-saving organ transplants.

The star-studded fundraiser, also attended by Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, brought in $14.5million (£7.71million) for the charity. Harry and Meghan’s friendship with Foster and McPhee stretches back several years, with the two couples previously photographed on a double date. In 2019, Foster helped arrange for the Duke and Duchess to stay at a close friend’s mansion on Vancouver Island. Speaking to the Mail at the time, he said: “I felt honoured that I was able to help Meghan there because I’m a Canadian, and we’re a Commonwealth country – we’re the Crown’s. It’s important to us, so I grew up with that kind of sentiment. I was really happy to be able to help them to find a respite just to take a little time off.”