Harry has found a new father figure in music executive David Foster. Photo / Getty Images
Harry has found a new father figure in music executive David Foster. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke of Sussex has a "father and son" relationship with the music executive who arranged a Canadian mansion for him to stay in after leaving the Royal Family, a friend has said.
David Foster is known to have facilitated arrangements for the Duke, Duchess and Archie to stay at a waterfront mansion on Vancouver Island. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke and David Foster have a "really beautiful" and "cute" relationship, said the musician's wife Katharine McPhee, who went to school with Meghan Markle.
Foster is known to have facilitated arrangements for the Duke, Duchess and Archie to stay at a waterfront mansion on Vancouver Island, now known to have been used as a half-way house on their way to Los Angeles.
The retreat, in which they spent six week as they negotiated their departure from Britain and royal duties, allowed them to find "respite" from their public lives, Foster, 70, said.
McPhee, a 36-year-old actress and singer who was interviewed on Access Hollywood, has now spoken of how the arrangement came about, after the couples reconnected in London.
"My husband has a really, really beautiful relationship with Harry," she said. "They're so cute. They're like father and son.
"David is the resource guy. 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."
Although McPhee went to school with Markle at Immaculate Heart in LA, she said the pair were in different years and did not know each other well.
But, after she starred in Waitress in the West End, the couple attended a charity event at which the Sussexes were also guests, making sure to be reintroduced.
As the Duke and Duchess made arrangements to leave Frogmore Cottage for a stay in Canada, Foster connected them with a wealthy friend who allowed the family of three to stay in his home.
The Sussexes have since moved to Los Angeles to stay in a vast mansion owned by US producer Tyler Perry while they hunt for a permanent home in the area.
Today, they celebrated their second anniversary at home with 1-year-old Archie during the coronavirus lockdown.
Foster has previously said of his role in their move: "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.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their son, Archie, found 'respite' in the Canadian home arranged for them by Foster. Photo / Getty Images
"I was really happy to be able to help them to find a respite just to take a little time off.
"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."
