Harry’s other ‘father’: Prince’s bond with music mogul David Foster

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a special trip to support music mogul David Foster at his foundation’s 40th anniversary celebration in Canada on Friday night.

Prince Harry and Meghan posed alongside the record producer and composer, 76, and his wife, actress and singer Katharine McPhee, 42, at the event in Victoria, British Columbia – and the royal’s bond with the Grammy Award winner was plain to see.

In one photograph, a beaming David stood arm-in-arm with Harry, who looked equally happy to be next to one of his reported ‘father figures’.

David, who is just a year younger than King Charles, helped the Sussexes find their Canadian hideaway before they moved to California after quitting as senior royals in January 2020.

In May that year, Katharine told Access Hollywood: ‘My husband has a really, really beautiful relationship with Harry. They’re so cute. They’re like father and son.’

She explained how David helped set the Sussexes up with their Canadian $14.1 million mansion hideaway before they moved to LA. 

‘David is the resource guy,’ Katharine said at the time. ‘He knows all the places. He loves to help people. We just hope they end up somewhere where they feel like they can really settle down.’ 

David said that he hooked the couple up with the sprawling property, which was located on the waterfront in North Saanich, near Vancouver.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a special trip to support music mogul David Foster (pictured right) at his foundation’s 40th anniversary celebration in Canada on Friday night.

How Katharine McPhee Reconnected With Meghan Markle 

He said his wife Katharine discovered that the Duke and Duchess were in need of a discreet spot for their first Christmas holiday with a then-seven-month-old Archie and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, and he was happy to oblige.

‘I felt honoured that I was able to help Meghan there because I’m a Canadian and we’re a Commonwealth country. It’s important to us, so I grew up with that kind of sentiment,’ David said to DailyMail.com.

‘I was really happy to be able to help them to find a respite just to take a little time off,’ he added. ‘I know that it was reinvigorating for them to spend some downtime. 

‘This is a great testament to my hometown of Victoria that they were able to go under the radar for so long.

‘I was just happy through my friend to facilitate what I could for them, and it looked like they had a great rest. They’re a young modern family. I’m sure they want to balance their commitment to the Crown and be a 2020 family.’

He added that he did not know if the couple had been paying rent, saying that he simply helped them make the connection with a close friend, who owns the property. 

Katharine attended the same Catholic school as Meghan. The Duchess of Sussex was already at high school by the time Katharine was at the Los Angeles middle school.

‘She went to a school called Immaculate Heart, as did I. She went there for middle school and high school, and I went there just for middle school,’ Katharine explained.

Prince Harry and Meghan posed alongside the record producer and composer, 76, and his wife, actress and singer Katharine McPhee, 42, at the event in Victoria, British Columbia – and the royal’s bond with the Grammy Award winner was plain to see.

How Katharine McPhee Reconnected With Meghan Markle 

‘I did a couple of shows with her and she was always put together and great,’ Katharine recalled. ‘I was never really close friends with her.’

She said that while she was performing in Waitress the musical in London, she and her husband David got to speak with Harry and Meghan.    

In 2019, Katharine posted an Instagram snap featuring the Duchess from their school days. 

‘Meghan and I did musicals together as kids,’ Katharine wrote. ‘She grew up to be the Duchess of Sussex and I grew up to star on the West End, so same life if you ask me.’

It was previously reported that David had planned to throw the Duke a fun-filled party in celebration of his first Los Angeles-based birthday upon Harry turning 36.

The Mirror claimed that the party was set to be held at David’s Los Angeles home, with a source telling the publication that it was going to be a low-key and intimate celebration.

‘David wants to make it special for Harry but also keep it casual and low-key with some fine wine, great food and intimate company,’ the source claimed.

‘He is setting aside the fire pit at his home plus the whole outdoor area, which security will cordon off.’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the gala to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Foster’s foundation in Canada on Friday night.

Inside Harry and Meghan’s Close Bond With David Foster 

According to the publication, no royals other than Harry and Meghan were due to be in attendance at the event; however, David was reportedly planning to include his daughters, actresses Erin and Sara, and their respective husbands, all of whom ‘are around the same age’ as the Duke and Duchess.

Meanwhile, in October 2020, it was reported that Harry and Meghan planned on spending Christmas in the US with the Duke’s ‘surrogate’ father David, a source claimed.

The couple were apparently hosting their own Christmas soirée in Los Angeles and planned on inviting his ‘surrogate’ dad, The Mirror reported.

‘Meghan very much wants to host the first Christmas at their new home with her mum,’ a source close to the couple claimed. 

‘She’s really excited and is planning on doing all the traditions she grew up with as a child, including the cooking.’

According to the source, David and Katharine offered to host the festivities at their home – however, Meghan volunteered that she and Harry host at theirs. 

Canadian-American David Foster has won 16 Grammy Awards and 45 nominations across a career spanning four decades.

Meghan and Harry have long been friends of the couple, having previously been pictured on a double date with the pair.

Watch: How William & Catherine BEAT Harry & Meghan in America | Palace Confidential