Prince William and Kate on Again?

Will they? Won't they? Are they? Aren't they?

The "they" in this case is Prince William and on-again, off-again girlfriend Kate Middleton.

"Well, they are an item again. But whether they'll get engaged, I don't know," said Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty Magazine.

Right now William and Kate are vacationing on an Indian Ocean island. They tried to keep it a secret. She flew in from Paris; he flew from Kenya. They reportedly checked in to a hotel as Martin and Rosemary.

With a press exclusion zone now around the lovebirds, British tabloids are left to mock up "From Here to Eternity"-style beach scenes of the royal couple.

Since the royal family will not comment on the relationship, the media are rife with speculation about the couple's next step.

"I think the feeling is that William will go for it," Seward said.

Fake Breakup?

This trip is a turnaround from their split in April, when William and Kate publicly ended their four-year affair, which had weathered endless intrusion and speculation.

William continued his royal grooming alone and Kate was seen out on the town, in some photos showing a bit of leg — to make her prince pine, perhaps?

Over the summer, William and Kate visibly drifted back together, kissing in nightclubs and now cavorting at a honeymoon hideaway.

Because the royals will not comment on matters of the heart, the press runs wild. There's even whispering that William and Kate never actually split up and that the breakup was engineered to throw paparazzi off the scent.

At least one royal watcher is convinced an engagement announcement is coming soon.

"I think William's just where Kate wants him," Seward said. "Which is wrapped round her little finger."

The public will have to wait and see whether she gets an engagement ring round that little finger.