EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle 'Snub' by David Foster Claims Dismissed by Close Friends

Meghan Markle was not snubbed by David Foster during their viral red-carpet encounter in Canada – with friends dismissing speculation of a rift as nonsense and the music producer himself condemning the interpretation as a "hurtful lie."

As RadarOnline.com reported, the 45-year-old attended the David Foster Foundation's 40th anniversary gala in Victoria, British Columbia, last Friday with her husband, Prince Harry, 41.

Footage showed ex-Suits actress Markle extending an arm toward Foster, 76, as he apparently walked past her before posing alongside wife Katharine McPhee, 42 – quickly prompting online claims the 16-time Grammy winner had deliberately ignored the duchess.

But close friends of Foster's have insisted there was no tension between the longtime friends and said the fleeting moment was being interpreted without its wider context.

One such insider claimed to Radar: "There was absolutely nothing deliberate about that moment. David simply didn't register that Meghan was reaching out toward him as he moved into position for the photographs. He wasn't consciously walking past her, ignoring her or trying to create some kind of uncomfortable scene in front of the cameras.

"What the short clip doesn't show is everything that happened beforehand. David had already welcomed Harry and Meghan properly, and there had been a very warm exchange between them. By the time they reached the red carpet, nobody involved felt there was some unresolved greeting that needed to happen again."

The source continued, "David was also the host of a major anniversary event, so countless things were competing for his attention. He was moving between interviews, guests, and photographers while people were trying to get everybody arranged correctly for pictures. In that environment, it's incredibly easy to miss somebody's gesture for a second.

"He was genuinely thrilled that Harry and Meghan had made the effort to be there and support the foundation. These aren't strangers who happened to encounter each other on a red carpet – David has known them for years and considers them friends."

"David has also always had enormous affection and respect for Harry's mother, Diana, and the suggestion that he would deliberately humiliate Harry's wife in such a public setting doesn't make sense to people who know their relationship," they noted.

"A few seconds of video have effectively been isolated from an entire evening and given a meaning that those who were actually there simply didn't recognize. There wasn't a feud, there wasn't some secret hostility, and there wasn't a calculated snub. It was an ordinary red-carpet positioning moment that became something completely different once it started circulating online."

Foster has also now personally rejected the "snub" interpretation.

He told People: "As the host of the David Foster and Friends foundation event, I had already greeted our friends, the Duke and Duchess, at the entrance 10 minutes before the red carpet encounter.

"They both, graciously and selflessly, gave their time and went beyond to engage with everyone. Harry and Meghan are dear friends of mine. Anyone watching can see there was no awkward moment and certainly no snub."

Foster criticized the subsequent media coverage of the 'incident,' adding: "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."