Although Mitt Romney is not running in the 2016 presidential election, he is still a prominent figure in the race among several of the top Republican contenders.

On Monday, the 2012 presidential candidate met with 2016 candidate Jeb Bush and his family for lunch. The lunch was held at the Bush family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. A number of the members from the Bush dynasty attended the lunch, including his wife, Columba, son George P. Bush, daughter-in-law Amanda, former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush.

Jeb and Columba "were grateful for the opportunity to host Governor and Mrs. Romney for lunch," said a statement from the Bush presidential campaign, reports USA Today Politics.

Before meeting with the Bush family, the former Massachusetts governor hosted New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, at his home in New Hampshire on Friday.  

While it's not surprising that the 2016 candidates are likely seeking Romney for advice and/or connections to major donors, the 2012 Republican nominee declared that he does not plan to endorse anybody this time around.

"I'm going to be as loyal to them as they were to me," Romney told reporters last weekend in New Hampshire.

Eric Fehrnstrom, a longtime Romney adviser, described the meetings as "friendly get-togethers," and added Romney will more than likely stay out of primary politics, reports Politico.

Instead, Romney allies say that the former Republican governor is embracing his newfound role as a political tutor.

"The one thing that helps more than anything else is having done it before," said an anonymous source close to Romney. "Mitt knows better than anybody what it's like to win and to lose the nomination. They all trust him. It's very unusual to have somebody of his ilk you can call on. We didn't have an ally of that stature to help us, particularly in the summer of '12."

In addition to offering advice, Romney has relationships with many of the GOP's richest donors, which would be very helpful for the candidates.