They live within a few minutes of one another, have mutual pals, both love dogs, and even worked together on a movie back in 2011! It should be a recipe for instant friendship, but insiders say Jennifer Aniston and Meghan Markle are just not clicking. But that’s not putting off the Duchess of Sussex, who’s told insiders she believes cosying up to the movie star is the key to finally unlocking Hollywood’s inner circle and has enlisted the help of fellow A-lister, Ellen DeGenere.

“Meghan’s been pushing for a meet up with Jen for months now,” says an insider close to the 42-year-old, who lives with husband Prince Harry and their two children, Archie, four, and two-year-old Lilibet in a $15million mansion in Montecito, close to celebrity neighbours that include the Friends superstar, Ellen, and Ariana Grande. “Ever since she and Harry realised they’re in the same neighbourhood as Jen, Meghan’s been hoping they might start hanging out and getting to know each other better. She’s had no luck at all so far and is begging their mutual friend Ellen to intervene and make it happen. Meghan is convinced that a friendship with Jen is what she needs to get the Hollywood seal of approval.”

Jen, 54, moved into the area earlier this year, after purchasing a $15million farmhouse from Oprah Winfrey last autumn. At the time, Meghan told friends she hoped a friendship would spark, especially after they were both in attendance at Ellen’s house in February, when the former talk-show host surprised wife Portia De Rossi with a vow renewal. In a video from the event, we saw Meghan mingling with guests alongside Harry, 38, including Jen, Kris Jenner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom. As Closer reported at the time, Meghan was keen to befriend as many stars as possible, with rumours she might get an invite to the Friends star’s housewarming party. It comes after a pre-Suits Meghan and Jen both appeared in Horrible Bosses 12 years ago. The then-unknown actress had a small role as a delivery driver, while Jen starred as nymphomaniac Dr Julia Harris. It was reported that Meghan bad-mouthed the production after seeing her role cut down and insiders say Jen – who was previously married to actor Brad Pitt – was also put out when she heard rumours that the young actress had told friends she wanted to be the “future Mrs Pitt”. There was further awkwardness earlier this year when fans pointed out that Jen had started following a controversial social media account known to target Meghan. She even reportedly ‘liked’ a post calling Harry the worst brother in the entire world. Our source continues, “Meghan’s mingled with Jen a few times in group settings, and Jennifer has always been very nice, but then when Meghan tries to follow up – asking for a number or suggesting a dog walk or hike – it goes nowhere. She’s frustrated but not ready to give up, so she’s pressuring Ellen to step in.”

But it may not be as easy as Ellen, 65, playing matchmaker. We’re told, “Just because they have a few things in common, doesn’t mean Jen is open to being Meghan’s friend. Jennifer is very protective of who she lets into her circle and says she really doesn’t need any new people in her life right now. She’s been burned so much over the years, so is very wary of people that pursue her like this. Of course, Jen’s flattered by Meghan’s efforts to get to know her better but she’s just not in the market for new pals. She’s extremely well stocked in that department and, truth be told, the idea of it simply doesn’t float her boat. She’s also slammed with work at the moment. She hasn’t spent as much time in Montecito as she’d like to have done since buying the property. Even though she bought the house off Oprah a while back, she’s still very much tied to LA. Montecito is more of a second home at this point. And when she does head to Santa Barbara, she wants to see her actual friends! She’ll drop in on Oprah, raise a glass with Orlando and Katy, and enjoy dinner with Ellen and Portia. These are people she’s known and trusted for years now and they’re right at the top of her list of favourites. She prefers to have small, intimate get-togethers and isn’t keen on the idea of extending that core group or making a big effort to meet new, younger celebrities.”

As Closer previously reported, Meghan has been desperate to make an impression on the A-list elite since she and the Duke quit royal life in 2020 and moved to California. But despite one sushi lunch with Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow – along with their husbands Benji Madden and Brad Falchuk – in May, the couple’s attempts have mostly fallen flat. They’ve apparently lost friends, including Victoria and David Beckham, who reportedly fell out with the Sussexes after a “heated phone call”. Former England captain, David – and once close friend of Harry’s – was said to be “absolutely bloody furious” when Meghan suggested the Spice Girl had leaked stories to the tabloids about her. The Beckhams were just two in a sea of famous faces at the couple’s star-studded wedding back in 2018, with a guestlist that included Elton John, Priyanka Chopra, George and Amal Clooney, Idris Elba, Tom Hardy, James Corden, Carey Mulligan, Serena Williams and Oprah. But rumour has it many of these relationships have fallen by the wayside following the couple’s Netflix docu-series, Harry & Meghan, and the Prince’s bombshell memoir, Spare. A recent source revealed that George and Amal are “no longer pals” with the pair, while Orlando and Katy are, “now closer to King Charles.” There have also been whispers that things have deteriorated with talkshow host, Oprah, with whispers that “the relationship between the neighbours has become fraught”.

Our source continues, “Obviously, it doesn’t help matters that Meghan has a reputation for losing friends fast. She and Harry seem to be very loose lipped and a lot of people in town are keeping their distance for exactly that reason. Jen’s well aware of that and of the drama they seem to bring wherever they go. It’s nothing personal, and Jen’s not trash-talking or telling either of them to stay away from her – nothing like that! But she’s certainly not reciprocating any of Meghan’s efforts and that’s a huge disappointment. Although, knowing Meghan, there’s no way she’ll give up on the project without a fight…”