We've all done it: had a great holiday and briefly thought about packing up our everyday lives and moving abroad. For most of us, the daydream ends the moment we empty our suitcases.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, however, don't follow the standard script.
After what sources close to them describe as a "really lovely trip" back to the UK to see friends and family, they've decided to come back for an "extended stay", though not a permanent move.
The language around this is intriguing, suggesting that far from wanting to build the rest of their lives in the UK, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are keeping their options open. Having a footprint on two continents gives them all of the flexibility they wanted - and were denied - when they made their dramatic exit from royal life back in early 2020.
The trigger for their move, say friends, was that idyllic family holiday last month, along with Harry's long-stated desire for his children Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, to know his home country.
"They had a wonderful time this summer and that was part of what went into the decision," a friend of the couple tells HELLO!. "They realised they wanted to take that opportunity to bring their kids home and share his family's history with them. They saw a lot of friends and family during their visit this summer.
"They're excited to give the children more time in a country that's important to them, and they have the flexibility to be able to do that while the kids are young.
"There's flexibility. It's an extended period of time but it's just not clear yet how long they’ll stay."
With the start of the UK school term just around the corner, it makes sense to move now to get the children settled with minimal disruption to their education.
"Obviously, the longer you leave it, the harder that becomes because of their age," adds a longtime friend of Harry. "They feel the time is right now. They'll obviously want to get the kids settled. And then it will be great for the organisations that he especially supports to have them jointly available and doing things.
"The UK is such an important part of who he is. He’s very passionate and patriotic, and he has close connections here. He wants his children to have that experience too.
"Clearly the meetings they had when they were here earlier in the summer went well."
Inevitably there are other factors at play too, however. Critics point to the couple's need for proximity to the royal family at a time when their commercial interests and personal brands have not succeeded as smoothly as hoped.
An "extended stay" in the UK would give them all the royal association they are missing in California while allowing them to flit back and forth and do as they please, just as they had originally hoped when they presented their manifesto for "stepping back" from royal life to the late Queen nearly six years ago.
The difference now, of course, is leverage. At that point, they had deals to complete with Oprah Winfrey and Netflix, among others.
© Vito Amati/The David Foster Foundation via Getty ImagesNow, let's just say the commercial landscape looks considerably more barren than it did back then.
With a soon-to-be-announced fee payment due following his unsuccessful court case against Associated Newspapers, finances may be stretched, but the Sussexes still plan to hold onto their sprawling Montecito estate in California as well as their holiday home in Portugal, all while residing in private accommodation in the UK.
That suggests their cupboard is far from bare and that they are keeping all options open. Could this be a trial period to see how life back in Blighty plays out?
Either way, they have a mountain to climb in terms of winning over the British public - not to mention the wider royal family.
Less than a quarter (21%) of Brits questioned by pollsters YouGov today were in favour of the Sussexes moving back to the UK.
And while the King is said to be pleased to have more opportunities to spend time with his son and his family, the same cannot be said for his brother, Prince William, who has not spoken to Harry since the late Queen's funeral in September 2022.
Others too will be wary of welcoming them back too quickly, given everything they have revealed to the world about life behind palace walls.
Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales in particular were singled out for criticism, making any real reconciliation with their husbands precarious at best.
© Kirsty O'Connor - WPA Pool/Getty ImagesOh, to be a fly on the wall at Balmoral tonight, where William and Catherine have gathered with their children and royal cousins, including Zara and Mike Tindall and Peter and Harriet Phillips and their families.
Harry and Meghan, says his friend, are aware it won't be plain sailing. "They're not operating in a bubble. They're very aware of the context of their return and they're very aware of the impact they can have. But they will get on with their business. And how other people perceive it is obviously down to other people. That just has to play out."
And yet, as Harry himself said in May last year, he wants reconciliation with his family. "There's no point continuing to fight any more, life is precious," he said, after losing yet another round of his legal battle against the Home Office over his security provision.
In the same interview he said: "I can’t see a world in which I would be bringing my wife and children back to the UK at this point and the things that they’re going to miss is, well, everything you know."
Some 15 months on, however, he seems satisfied that he can, in fact, bring his family to the UK without incident, having managed a successful and largely private visit with them in July.
For now, sources close to the Sussexes have not commented on what has changed, nor has the Home Office and even Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said it was a "private matter". But you can guarantee it won’t stay that way if it turns out their taxpayer-funded police protection has been reinstated while they are living in the UK - even if that's not permanent.
At least, for the King's sake, the security situation appears to have been resolved and he no longer finds himself caught between competing interests.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageSo what will the Sussexes do once they're here? Pretty much the same as what they've been doing Stateside, it seems. Meghan's As Ever brand will continue "business as usual", and she is working on some projects with Archewell Philanthropies, formerly known as the Archewell Foundation.
She's also expected to join him on public engagements in the UK next month when he revisits some of his key patronages, including WellChild, the national charity for seriously ill children.
Another major focus for Harry is next July's Invictus Games, which return to home soil for the first time since 2014. He is hoping the King will make an appearance alongside him in Birmingham and has the best part of a year to work on rebuilding that connection with his father.
But another major event in the next 12 months will also likely loom large. Next week marks one year until the 30th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. Harry's uncle, Earl Spencer, whom he stayed with during his recent visit to the UK, has already fired the starter’s pistol on a wave of commemorative events honouring his sister’s memory, with the announcement of his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
There is no question that Harry will want to play a part in that.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageSo could a period of relative privacy, mixed with occasional outings to promote worthwhile causes help to rehabilitate them? Is a return to the royal fold suddenly a slight possibility? Friends of the couple are not ruling it out.
"I don't think anything will be immediate. They're obviously going to move, get the kids into school and we'll see how it goes from there," says one.
"But I hope that there's a way that this could all work harmoniously. Hopefully, there is space for positive working opportunities for everybody."
As for any reconciliation with the wider family, the friend adds: "One step at a time. But having the opportunity to have relationships with friends and family that are harder from the other side of the world? The driver is there."
