Prince Harry has found a new mentor and "father figure" in Canadian music icon David Foster, according to sources close to the pair, The Times reported. The 74-year-old music producer has become a close friend and confidant to the Duke of Sussex during his time in the US, as per the report.
Foster, who lives near Harry and Meghan Markle in Montecito, California, has apparently filled a void left by Prince Harry's strained relationships with his own family, particularly King Charles. Katharine McPhee, Foster's wife, described the bond between Harry and her husband as "like father and son".
How they became friends
Meghan Markle attended the same Catholic middle school in Los Angeles as Foster's wife, Katharine McPhee. Although they weren't close friends at school, they reconnected in London when McPhee was starring in the musical Waitress on the West End. It was then that David Foster and Prince Harry hit it off.
Foster and McPhee helped the Sussexes find a place to stay in Canada after they left the UK in 2020. The 16-time Grammy winner helped the couple find a $14.1 million rental home in Victoria, British Columbia, while they looked for a permanent residence in California.
Foster told the Daily Mail back in 2020 that he was honoured to help the ex-royal couple, citing his Canadian roots and the commonwealth connection. "I was just happy through my friend to facilitate what I could for them, and it looked like they had a great rest," he said. "They are a young modern family. I'm sure they want to balance their commitment to the crown and be a 2020 family."
Since then, Harry and Foster have been close friends. McPhee said, "My husband has a really, really beautiful relationship with Harry. They're so cute."
In October 2020, the Sussexes moved to Santa Barbara, and the two couples have been inseparable ever since. They were spotted enjoying a double date at Lucky's Steakhouse in Montecito, where Katharine McPhee, then pregnant with her son Rennie, chatted with Meghan Markle about purchasing a home in the area.
