Music producer David Foster has strongly denied claims that he snubbed Meghan Markle on a red carpet during his foundation’s 40th anniversary gala in Victoria, British Columbia. Foster clarified that he had already greeted the Duke and Duchess of Sussex minutes earlier, attributing the viral moment to simple photo positioning.
The Red Carpet Video and Social Media Uproar
Footage from the 40th anniversary celebration for the David Foster Foundation quickly circulated across social media platforms, sparking intense debate among online observers. In the widely shared clip, Foster smiles at Prince Harry as the retired royal pats his back, before the music producer steps directly past Meghan Markle without acknowledging an outstretched arm.
Social media users expressed mixed feelings over the exchange, with some accusing Foster of “ghosting” Markle and others denying any drama. Reps for Harry and Markle have yet to respond to Page Six’s requests for comment regarding the viral footage.
David Foster’s Statement Defending the Duke and Duchess
Seeking to clear up the speculation, the 76-year-old composer issued a definitive statement emphasizing his close ties to the couple and dismissing any notion of a deliberate slight. According to E!
He condemned the viral interpretation as a distortion of reality driven by online sensationalism in an Aug. 12 statement to People.
“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.”
Untangling the Timeline and Longstanding Friendships
Both Foster and a separate source confirmed to Page Six on Wednesday that the headline-making clip only captured a fraction of the evening’s interactions, confirming that Markle, 45, and Harry, 41, greeted Foster before the clip was filmed. The Grammy winner reiterated that anyone watching closely would recognize that no tension existed between the parties involved.
The underlying relationship between the couples spans several years, marked by a warm bond between the music producer and Prince Harry, with Harry sharing an especially close bond with the record producer as a “father figure.” Katharine McPhee, Foster’s wife, previously shed light on the dynamic in a 2020 interview with Pagesix, describing a really, really beautiful relationship with Harry
and noting, They’re so cute. … We just stay in touch with them.
Meanwhile, connections between the women extend back to their childhood years. McPhee explained that she has known Markle since they attended the same school as kids, noting, I was in middle school when she was in high school. So I did a couple shows with her.
Putting the Internet Drama to Rest
After walking past the initial red carpet encounter, Foster rejoined Prince Harry and Meghan alongside Katharine McPhee (42) to pose for official photographs. Footage from the later portion of the evening showed the producer leaning back to chat animatedly with Harry over the women’s heads, while Meghan and McPhee appeared to laugh at their husbands’ back-and-forth.
For Foster, the viral clip represents a classic case of social media outrunning the facts. Reaffirming his stance in his statement, the 76-year-old concluded that anyone watching can see there was no awkward moment and certainly no snub,
calling uproar over his simple positioning
snafu a hurtful lie.
