For months, the sightings have been murky and long-distance in nature, more worthy of Arctic nature photography than gossip pages. In July, they were seen walking a dog and then dining at a restaurant in Montreal. And then, a confusing silence, as the — were they, even? — new couple retreated into a summer hibernation.

It was not until September that a California whale-watching trip got the biggest nautical sighting of all, when a passenger snapped an entwined romantic duo atop a yacht from a distance.

When enhanced, the photographer recognized former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau by his thorny Indigenous tattoo, though apparently did not recognize the incredibly famous pop star Katy Perry by the fact that they were canoodling on her quite tasteful motor yacht, the 78-foot Caravelle.

They were, it seemed, a something.

It has been a very strange year for both. Trudeau announced he would resign in January, leaving Canada to conduct its ongoing conflict with America without him; he was replaced in April.

That was the same month that Perry resigned the planet, taking a strangely disastrous celebrity trip into the earth’s thermosphere. She, Gayle King and the then Bezos-bride-to-be Lauren Sánchez took Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket into the very nearest edge of space.

For some difficult-to-define reason, this trip made Perry a laughingstock. Was it the cringe moment of her kissing the ground upon return? Was it the dated all-woman-crew girl-boss vibes of the trip? Was it that they essentially lit a bunch of money on fire for no good purpose, while it felt like the world was already burning? Or were these ill vibes personal to Perry — some nefarious Orlando Bloom-led negative PR campaign? For, we would soon learn, Perry was separating from her fiancé, old Legolas himself.

Whatever the reason, she went overnight from “pop royalty to America’s favorite punch line.”

It has only been her slow defection northward romantically that has kept her brand out of deep crisis. Trudeau has made her the butt of a kinder sort of joke: “Katy Perry Releases New Single About Superiority Of Canadian Manufacturing,” ribbed The Onion. This trade war of the heart is paying dividends.

They are, now, officially out of the closet, and we know because Pop Crave says so: “Katy Perry & Justin Trudeau are officially dating,” the gossip account of record posted over the weekend.

And here she is, triumphantly on the front page of all the best English tabloids. It was her birthday on Saturday. She threw a big party at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris. She and Trudeau not only held hands but also apparently left the party together. They honestly looked great.

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau Are Already ‘Making Plans for the Holidays’ amid Whirlwind Relationship (Exclusive Source)

The duo, who were first spotted spending time together in July, stepped out for the first time as a couple on Oct. 25

Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau are preparing to spend some downtime together.

After the pop star, 41, and the former prime minister, 53, were initially spotted spending time together in July, the pair have grown closer and are planning for the upcoming festive season.

Now, a source close to Perry tells PEOPLE, on Thursday, Nov. 20, that the pair are “making plans for the holidays.”

However, the source notes, that Perry is really “looking forward” to wrapping her tour.

“Without exaggeration, this year has been a whirlwind for her,” the source adds. “She hasn’t even had time to really think about her life after the tour.”

According to the source, Perry – who split from ex-fiancé, Orlando Bloom earlier this year — will be focusing on her 5-year-old daughter Daisy Dove, whom she shares with The Lord of the Rings actor, 48.

“She’s a single mom now and a lot of that is going to come into focus next year,” says the source.

The same source told PEOPLE on Wednesday, Nov. 19 that the couple are spending time together “when they can.”

“Justin keeps making a big effort to see her and she’s excited about it,” the source told PEOPLE, noting that Perry “has a lot of fun with him.”

The source added that their romance is “exactly what she needs right now.”

On Oct. 25, the “Bandaids” singer and Trudeau stepped out as a couple for the first time.

Per TMZ, they were celebrating Perry’s birthday at a cabaret show at the Crazy Horse Paris at the time.

Within days, a Canadian social source told PEOPLE that Trudeau was enjoying his time with Perry after a challenging split from his wife, Sophie Grégoire, in 2023 and his resignation as Canada’s prime minister.

The source told PEOPLE that Trudeau “is a much happier person now.”

“Stresses are greatly diminished. And he is intrigued with Katy. They have fun together, laugh a lot, talk about everything,” the source continued.

A separate source told PEOPLE that the relationship with Trudeau was a surprise to Perry.

Despite their busy schedules, the duo “make time for each other and have a really strong connection,” the source told PEOPLE.

“Katy didn’t expect to fall for somebody so soon, but Justin checks all the boxes. He has a great sense of humor, he’s charming and treats her with respect,” added the source.