David Foster Denies Meghan Markle Snub After Viral Red-carpet Clip

David Foster has rejected claims that he ignored Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at a Canadian charity gala, saying he had greeted Meghan and Prince Harry shortly before the red-carpet moment that later spread online.

David Foster has denied claims that he snubbed Meghan Markle after a brief red-carpet interaction at his foundation’s anniversary gala prompted widespread speculation online.

The Grammy-winning producer said he had already welcomed Meghan and Prince Harry around 10 minutes before the moment captured on video at the David Foster Foundation’s 40th anniversary celebration in Victoria, British Columbia, on 7 August.

Footage circulating after the event showed Foster walking past Meghan while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were posing for photographers. Meghan appeared to make a gesture towards him, prompting some social-media users and entertainment outlets to interpret the exchange as an intentional slight.

Foster has now firmly rejected that interpretation. In a statement given to People, the 76-year-old described Harry and Meghan as “dear friends” and said there had been no awkward encounter between them.

What Happened in the Viral Meghan Markle Video?

The short clip did not show the full sequence of events surrounding the red-carpet appearance.

According to Foster, he had personally greeted the Sussexes at the entrance before the filmed exchange took place. The producer said the later movement on the carpet was simply about arranging people for photographs rather than an attempt to ignore Meghan.

That explanation is supported by what happened moments later in the footage. Foster returned with his wife, singer and actress Katharine McPhee, before the two couples stood together for photographs, smiling and interacting in front of the cameras.

Foster criticised coverage that portrayed the moment as a deliberate snub, arguing that a routine piece of red-carpet positioning had been given a misleading interpretation.

The clarification is significant because some early reports relied heavily on the few seconds of video and reactions to it rather than comments from Foster himself. His subsequent statement provides a first-hand account directly contradicting the suggestion of a falling-out.

Neither the footage nor the available reporting establishes that Foster deliberately rejected an attempted greeting from Meghan.

David Foster and Sussexes Have Longstanding Friendship

Foster and McPhee have known Harry and Meghan for several years.

McPhee and Meghan knew one another when they were younger in Los Angeles and later reconnected as adults. McPhee has previously described Foster and Harry as having a particularly close friendship.

Foster also helped Harry and Meghan find accommodation in Canada in 2019, when the couple spent time on Vancouver Island before announcing in January 2020 that they intended to step back as senior working members of the Royal Family.

Their appearance in Victoria came during a weekend marking four decades of the David Foster Foundation, which supports Canadian families whose children require life-saving organ transplants.

The black-tie event on 7 August raised $14.5 million, according to reporting from the gala, while a free public concert was staged in Victoria’s Inner Harbour the following day. Adam Levine was among the performers associated with the celebrations.

Meghan and Harry also shared photographs from the evening, while separate images showed the Duchess posing alongside McPhee and the two couples together.

Foster’s intervention therefore leaves the position considerably clearer than the viral clip alone suggested: claims of a deliberate David Foster Meghan Markle snub were based on an interpretation of a brief interaction, while the event’s host says he had already greeted the couple and denies there was any personal slight.