It’s been three years since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved to the heart of celeb-land in California, hoping to secure themselves a place in the A-list inner circle. And it looks like it might finally be happening, as the royal rebels were spotted last week enjoying a sushi lunch with Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow – along with their husbands Benji Madden and Brad Falchuk. Insiders say the Duke and Duchess of Sussex see this as the start of big things for them as they attempt to put that royal feud behind them.

“The Sussexes have been schmoozing up a storm,” says our source close to the couple, who’ve been trying to amass Hollywood support since they quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to Montecito with their children, Archie, four, and Lilibet, who turns two next week. “But it’s been a seriously uphill task. They’ve been so desperate for acceptance on the showbiz scene and working towards that goal since they arrived in the area and Meghan has been quite lonely at times and has been desperate to make high powered friends. Now it seems to be working and they’re making plans to socialise like mad throughout the summer, having more lunches like this, enjoying drinks and hosting dinner parties galore. They’re just getting started and want everyone in Hollywood to know they’re expanding their social circle. They’ve spent so long holed up inside, obsessing over the royals back in the UK, Meghan figures this is the least they deserve!”

Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, were seen leaving the Montecito haunt, Sushi by Scratch Restaurants last week with actress Cameron, 50, and her Good Charlotte musician husband. The group were all smiles as they exited the Michelin-starred eatery – where lunch costs $165 per person – with onlookers saying Gwyneth, 50, and TV producer Brad were also in attendance, along with Bumble chief executive Whitney Wolfe Herd and her husband Texas oil heir Michael Herd. It’s a new friendship for the Sussexes, with Harry writing in his recent memoir Spare that he’s “never met” or been “within 50 metres of Ms Diaz”, despite romance rumours dating back to 2011.

Our insider continues, “Meghan’s so excited to be hanging out with some of her childhood idols. If you’d told her a few years ago she’d be having a sushi dinner with Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow, she’d have thought it a dream come true! It’s such a thrill to be hanging out with some of the most talented and well-known people in the business and, for Meghan, this is a critical next step in terms of building up their profile and enhancing their brand. She’s hoping they’ll soon be having regular meetups, not just with Cameron and Gwyneth, but with the likes of Jen Aniston, plus the friends they’ve already made, like Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey.

It follows news that Meghan is planning a relaunch of her Goop inspired lifestyle website The Tig. As Closer recently reported, it’s set to rival Gwyneth Paltrow’s £200million website, Goop, with onlookers wondering if the Duchess was getting some advice from the vagina-steaming guru herself. Others pointed out how “happy” and “thriving” they all looked, with one comment enthusing, “It’d be awesome to have Cameron Diaz as a buddy. Even Gwyneth! She’s crazy but fun!” But many more royal fans were sceptical about the apparent new friendship, with one comment wondering if the whole thing was set up for the cameras.

“Cameron Diaz was asked to be there by Meghan’s agency. Why can’t they just act like normal people and stop the media games?” asked one. Another suggested, “My bet is Meghan heard that A listers were meeting at this restaurant so she got Harry and made a bee line for the place so she could bask in the glow of adjacent celebs, who probably wanted nothing to do with her.” A third insisted, “They just happened to be there at the same time.” While one more added, “My money: they paid the staff to notify them if anyone important was using the restaurant and went along for the photo op.” Others referenced the recent embarrassing South Park episode which took down the couple in a ruthless spoof. In the cartoon, a ginger prince and his “actress wife went on a Worldwide Privacy Tour, holding banners and placards that demanded no one look at them. There were rumours Harry and Meghan were planning to sue the show’s creators, with a spokesperson later insisting that was “all frankly nonsense. Totally baseless, boring reports.”

It follows Meghan’s show-stopping appearance at the 2023 Women of Vision Award, a week after snubbing King Charles III’s coronation. The former Suits star was an honouree at the prestigious event and looked stunning in a gold shimmering Johanna Ortiz dress. She was joined on the red carpet by Harry and her mum, Doria Ragland, as insiders say they’re keen to put the last few controversial months behind them and focus on their new A-list life in Hollywood. It’s been a rough time for the pair, who’ve been the subject of much speculation and headlines after their damning Netflix docu-series Harry & Meghan released in December, followed by Harry’s best-selling memoir, where they both criticised the royal family – Prince William and Queen Camilla in particular. It led to Meghan turning down an invite to the historical coronation on 6 May, while Harry flew in for a matter of hours, seemingly avoiding members of his family, before flying back to LA. Many wondered if their actions had lost them a couple of showbiz pals, as George and Amal Clooney were accused of “taking sides” with the royals last week. The superstar actor and his lawyer wife – who attended Meghan and Harry’s wedding 2018 and confirmed they were “friends” back in 2019 – were front and centre at last week’s Prince’s Trust Awards. After the event, arranged by the new monarch, a source claimed, “The Clooneys clearly want to be on good terms with the King and the Royal Family.”

Our insider continues, “Meghan and Harry are desperate to put the royals in their rear view mirror and focus on their new high-profile friends in the US. The trouble is that they don’t seem to realise those celebrities are just playing the classic Hollywood schmooze game. They’ve got a lot to learn when it comes to recognising a real friend and an acquaintance who’s just prepared to turn up for a casual lunch and clink a glass in front of paps. Harry isn’t the type to want these fair-weather, fleeting friendships and would much prefer to build up a solid core group of pals he can trust, instead of hob-nobbing from one celebrity lunch to the next – however famous some of their dining partners might be. He and Meghan are in for a major shock when they realise some of these Hollywood guys will chew them up and spit them out…”