Deposed dictator Robert Mugabe could leave Zimbabwe as early as Tuesday night after finally resigning the presidency after 37 years, but the military is demanding his hated wife be left behind to face prosecution.
One of his Mugabe's protection team told Mail Online: 'From my understanding, he might leave the country tonight. The generals promised him he could leave safely.
'The generals were insisting that Grace must be prosecuted. It was a burning issue up until today. I don't know what the outcome was, but they were insisting that they might forgive the old man but not Grace.'
Grace could be arrested tonight, a close family member added, as wild scenes of celebration erupted around the country following news of the 93-year-old's departure.
As politicians danced and sang in parliament whites and blacks united in the streets as cars honked their horns, flags flew and lorries full of revellers roared through the streets.
'Gucci' Grace, as she is known thanks to her lavish spending sprees, prompted the dictator's downfall when she attempted to oust vice-president Emmerson Mnangagwa from power to clear the way for her own succession.
Mnangagwa is now back in the country, having fled to South Africa earlier this month, a Zanu-PF minister said.
He has urged followers to stay calm and thanked them for their hard work, the minister added. He is expected to be sworn into office on Wednesday or Thursday.
Mugabe and Grace are currently holed up at their Blue Roof mansion, according to a source who spoke to Mail Online, with Mugabe 'so depressed he can't even lift his feet'.
One of the former dictator's security team said: 'He is depressed to the extent he is failing to walk. He is dragging his feet.
'Grace has been refusing to go outside into the open air all day as well,' he said. 'They both know the end has come and they are deeply depressed. Their greatest worry is what is going to happen to them and their family.
'The issue of Grace was a burning one. The generals were going to press ahead with prosecuting her for crimes including money laundering, capturing of state assets and interfering with government business.'
It was Grace's decision to try to oust Mnangagwa from power and clear a path for her own succession to the presidency that sparked the military uprising which ultimately toppled her husband.
Mystery also remains over the fate of couple's two sons, Chatunga and Robert jr, who live in South Africa. Chatunga has been updating social media regularly since the military began ousting his father from power, with the latest update coming on Monday in the form of a picture of himself checking his phone.
Zimbabwe's former prime minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, said this afternoon: 'We need to sit down and redefine a new chapter.'
The origin of Mugabe's sudden downfall lies in rivalry between members of Zimbabwe's ruling elite over who will succeed him, rather than popular protests against his rule.
Mugabe's resignation comes a week after the army and his former political allies moved against him, ending four decades of rule by a man who turned from independence hero to archetypal African strongman.
The 93-year-old had clung on for a week after an army takeover and expulsion from his own ruling Zanu-PF party, but resigned shortly after parliament began an impeachment process seen as the only legal way to force him out.
The US embassy in Zimbabwe has called the resignation 'historic', saying it is an opportunity for the nation to 'set itself on a new path' to free and fair elections.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said: 'The resignation of Robert Mugabe provides Zimbabwe with an opportunity to forge a new path free of the oppression that characterised his rule.
'In recent days we have seen the desire of the Zimbabwean people for free and fair elections and the opportunity to rebuild the country's economy under a legitimate government.
'As Zimbabwe's oldest friend we will do all we can to support this, working with our international and regional partners to help the country achieve the brighter future it so deserves.'
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says Robert Mugabe was 'a despot who impoverished his country' and his exit is a 'moment of joy' for Zimbabwe.
Johnson says he hopes Mugabe's resignation will be a turning point and that there should now be 'free and fair democratic elections and above all not a transition from one despotic rule to another.'
Wild celebrations broke out at a joint sitting of parliament when Speaker Jacob Mudenda announced Mugabe's resignation and suspended the impeachment procedure.
In a highly-symbolic scene, a man removed a portrait of Mugabe from a room inside the parliament where MPs were gathering for an extraordinary session to impeach the recalcitrant president.
Another bystander replaced it with an image of Mnangagwa.
People danced and car horns blared on the streets of Harare at news that the era of Mugabe - who has led Zimbabwe since independence in 1980 - was finally over.
'We are just so happy that things are finally going to change,' Togo Ndhlalambi, 32, a hairdresser, told AFP.
'We woke up every morning waiting for this day. This country has been through tough times.'
After a week of political turmoil, Zimbabweans reacted with shock and unfettered joy.
'I am so happy that Mugabe is gone, 37 years under a dictatorship is not a joke,' said Tinashe Chakanetsa, 18.