Sarah Ferguson is reportedly set to make her return to the UK, six months after her eviction from Royal Lodge.
The former Duchess of York, 66, is said to be moving into a £10,000-a-month, six-bedroom gated property in the Home Counties after spending the first half of the year unaccounted for, aside from being spotted twice in Austria and Switzerland.
But why is she choosing to finally return home now?
Speaking on HELLO!'s A Right Royal Podcast, royal editor Emily Nash believes there are a "couple of things" behind the not-so-coincidental timing.
Some reports have suggested that Sarah could be in line to inherit a sum of money from her late ex-boyfriend Paddy McNally, whose funeral Princess Beatrice attended last month, and who was seen by Fergie as a "father figure".
She's also newly a grandmother again, as younger daughter Princess Eugenie recently welcomed her third child, a baby girl named Adelaide.
Why Sarah Ferguson is returning to the UK now
Emily says: "I think the fact that she's come back now is really interesting. And there are a couple of things that could be behind it.
"One, she may potentially have inherited some money from her great friend whose property she was staying in in Switzerland (Paddy McNally).
© Instagram/ @princesseugenie"But I think probably the key thing for her will be her grandchildren and wanting to spend more time with them. She's just welcomed a new granddaughter, Adelaide.
"And while Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are based in Portugal, they do come back and forth. But she also has Beatrice's children. And what grandmother doesn't want to be closer to them? She can't live in exile forever."
Sarah is no longer living with her ex-husband, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who is the subject of an ongoing investigation into allegations of misconduct in public office during his time as special trade envoy to the UK.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesThe couple had previously lived together for two decades in Royal Lodge in Windsor, calling themselves the "happiest divorced couple" in the world.
What's next for Fergie now that she's back in the UK?
The former Duchess has faced scrutiny herself over her friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, after new details of their close friendship were released in documents by the US government in January.
Emily adds: "The thing that I find absolutely fascinating about this is whether or not she is having any conversations with the people investigating Andrew.
"Because she will have information that people absolutely want to hear. Now, I don't know where things stand between them right now.
© Getty Images"This is the longest period they've really lived apart. That's ongoing. She's moved back to the UK, she's living in the Home Counties, you know, she's in a six-bedroom property, she wants to live as a private citizen."
As for how Fergie is going to finance her grand return, Emily explains that one area she's always "succeeded" in is "finding means".
She's also been rumoured to be "bombarded with requests" for TV interviews upon her return.
