The Sussexes have been lunching with the A-list and now want more<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/MAIN-IMAGE-Meghan-1.jpg” title_text=”Invictus Games 2020 – Reception” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#111111″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”-2.75%||||false|false” custom_padding=”4px|8px|4px|8px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Meghan is desperate for some Hollywood friends, three years after moving there<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]
It\u2019s 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 \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Sussexes have been schmoozing up a storm,\u201d says our source close to the couple, who\u2019ve 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. \u201cBut it\u2019s been a seriously uphill task. They\u2019ve 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\u2019re making plans to socialise like mad throughout the summer, having more lunches like this, enjoying drinks and hosting dinner parties galore. They\u2019re just getting started and want everyone in Hollywood to know they\u2019re expanding their social circle. They\u2019ve spent so long holed up inside, obsessing over the royals back in the UK, Meghan figures this is the least they deserve!\u201d<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/IMAGE-2-Meghan-1.jpg” title_text=”Ms. Foundation Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress & Power” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#111111″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”-2.75%||||false|false” custom_padding=”4px|8px|4px|8px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
The Sussexes are ready for a more red carpet lifestyle<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]
Harry, 38, and Meghan, 41, were seen leaving the Montecito haunt,\u00a0Sushi by Scratch Restaurants last week with actress Cameron, 50, and her\u00a0Good Charlotte musician husband. The group were all smiles as they exited the Michelin-starred eatery \u2013 where lunch costs $165 per person \u2013 with onlookers saying Gwyneth, 50, and TV producer Brad were also in attendance, along with\u00a0Bumble chief executive Whitney Wolfe Herd and her husband Texas oil heir Michael Herd. It\u2019s a new friendship for the Sussexes, with Harry writing in his recent memoir Spare that he\u2019s \u201cnever met\u201d or been\u00a0\u201cwithin 50 metres of Ms Diaz\u201d, despite romance rumours dating back to 2011. <\/p>\n
Our insider continues, \u201cMeghan\u2019s so excited to be hanging out with some of her childhood idols. If you\u2019d told her a few years ago she\u2019d be having a sushi dinner with Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow, she\u2019d have thought it a dream come true! It\u2019s 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.\u00a0She\u2019s hoping they\u2019ll soon be having regular meetups, not just with Cameron and Gwyneth, but with the likes of Jen Aniston, plus the friends they\u2019ve already made, like Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey.<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/IMAGE-3-Meghan-1.jpg” title_text=”House of Harlow 1960 x REVOLVE” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#111111″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”-2.75%||||false|false” custom_padding=”4px|8px|4px|8px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Cameron and Benji recently had lunch with the Sussexes<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]
It follows news that Meghan is planning a relaunch of her Goop inspired lifestyle website The Tig. As Closer recently reported,\u00a0it\u2019s set to rival Gwyneth Paltrow\u2019s \u00a3200million website, Goop, with onlookers wondering if the Duchess was getting some advice from the vagina-steaming guru herself. Others pointed out how \u201chappy\u201d and \u201cthriving\u201d they all looked, with one comment enthusing, \u201cIt\u2019d be awesome to have Cameron Diaz as a buddy. Even Gwyneth! She\u2019s crazy but fun!\u201d\u00a0But 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cCameron Diaz was asked to be there by Meghan\u2019s agency. Why can\u2019t they just act like normal people and stop the media games?\u201d asked one. Another suggested, \u201cMy 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.\u201d A third insisted, \u201cThey just happened to be there at the same time.\u201d While one more added, \u201cMy money: they paid the staff to notify them if anyone important was using the restaurant and went along for the photo op.\u201d\u00a0Others referenced the recent embarrassing South Park episode which took down the couple in a ruthless spoof. In the cartoon, a ginger prince and his \u201cactress 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\u2019s creators, with a spokesperson later insisting that was \u201call frankly nonsense. Totally baseless, boring reports.\u201d<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/IMAGE-4-Meghan-1.jpg” title_text=”A Dreamy Evening With Goopglow” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#111111″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”-2.75%||||false|false” custom_padding=”4px|8px|4px|8px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Gwyneth has shown her support to Meghan and Harry<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]
It follows Meghan\u2019s show-stopping appearance at the 2023 Women of Vision Award, a week after snubbing King Charles III\u2019s coronation. The former Suits star was an honouree at the prestigious event and looked stunning in a gold\u00a0shimmering Johanna Ortiz dress. She was joined on the red carpet by Harry and her mum, Doria Ragland, as insiders say they\u2019re keen to put the last few controversial months behind them and focus on their new A-list life in Hollywood. It\u2019s been a rough time for the pair, who\u2019ve been the subject of much speculation and headlines after their damning Netflix docu-series Harry & Meghan released in December, followed by Harry\u2019s best-selling memoir, where they both criticised the royal family \u2013 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 \u201ctaking sides\u201d with the royals last week. The superstar actor and his lawyer wife \u2013 who attended Meghan and Harry\u2019s wedding 2018 and confirmed they were \u201cfriends\u201d back in 2019 \u2013 were front and centre at last week\u2019s Prince\u2019s Trust Awards. After the event, arranged by the new monarch, a source claimed, \u201cThe Clooneys clearly want to be on good terms with the King and the Royal Family.\u201d<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/05\/IMAGE-5-Meghan-1.jpg” title_text=”DirecTV Beach Bowl – Game” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text module_class=”custom-gallery-caption” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|600|||||||” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_color=”#111111″ text_orientation=”center” custom_margin=”-2.75%||||false|false” custom_padding=”4px|8px|4px|8px|true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]
Meghan before she was royal with her good friend Serena Williams<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” theme_builder_area=”post_content” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″]
Our insider continues, \u201cMeghan 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\u2019t seem to realise those celebrities are just playing the classic Hollywood schmooze game. They\u2019ve got a lot to learn when it comes to recognising a real friend and an acquaintance who\u2019s just prepared to turn up for a casual lunch and clink a glass in front of paps. Harry isn\u2019t 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 \u2013 however famous some of their dining partners might be. He and Meghan are in for a major shock when they realise\u00a0some of\u00a0these\u00a0Hollywood\u00a0guys will chew them up and spit them out\u2026\u201d<\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Insiders say the Duke and Duchess of Sussex see this as the start of big things for them<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":737,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"kschwarz","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=722"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":740,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722\/revisions\/740"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/737"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/closer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}