The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been telegraphing their move out of London for the past eight months. By leaking so many stories about it, they’ve probably done something right: a move feels inevitable at this point, and it’s likely that we’ll hear something concrete any day now. It’s still up in the air as to which castle, palace, fort or mansion will house the Family Keen, but everyone agrees that they’ll be moving to Windsor. The Times had a long story this week about why Windsor will suit them at this stage in their lives, and there are some fascinating details here.

Research on local schools: “They’ve been doing their research on local schools for the last year,” says Teddy Wolstenholme, the editorial director of Talk Education and a former editor of the Tatler Schools Guide. “One pupil at Lambrook was asked by the cheery future king how he’d rate Latin. And when Kate was looking round another school, Papplewick, a pupil told her that she looked just like the Duchess of Cambridge.”

Mimicking Kate’s educational path: “I bet the children go to St Andrew’s, Pangbourne, where Kate went,” one well-connected local resident says. “True, it’s half an hour’s drive from Windsor, but they’re used to a long school run in London. It’s leafy, with a big sweeping driveway, a brand new sports hall and beautiful indoor swimming pool. And you have the option of being a day pupil or boarding.” Ludgrove, where William went, is viewed as less likely, because it’s single sex and boarding only. The two eldest Cambridge children attend Thomas’s Battersea, a smart London day school, and the couple are said to be keen to keep them all together at the same school.

Marlborough or Eton: Marlborough — where the duchess spent several happy years — is the odds-on favourite to educate them when they’re older. By happy chance, the college is a popular destination for St Andrew’s alumni, although Wolstenholme cautions: “Don’t underestimate the pull of the old school tie — Prince William was very happy at Eton, and the opportunities and facilities it offers boys are unparalleled.’’

The yummy-mummy scene: “There’s a whole school-run yummy mummy scene round here,” one Pangbourne local says. “They all wear Sweaty Betty or Lululemon and drive navy Volvo XC90s with personalised number plates. If the kids went to St Andrew’s, Kate could go to the Pantry in Yattendon after school drop-off, where they do the best toasties and amazing cakes, or the Blackbird Cafe in Chapel Row, where the quinoa salads and cappuccinos are great. Plus, it’s very near to Kate’s parents in Bucklebury, so if she’s busy, granny and grandpa can do the school pick-up.”

Kate will love the shopping scene in Windsor: But in many ways, when it comes to shops Windsor will very much feel like home for Kate, who’s used to hopping into her Range Rover and being driven to Peter Jones or the shops on Kensington High Street. (In fact, her failure to offer Meghan, then Prince Harry’s girlfriend, a lift on just such a trip was one of the many things Meghan later complained about to the authors of Finding Freedom.)

Humble country folk: According to society florist Sue Barnes of Lavender Green, who did the flowers for Pippa Middleton’s wedding and whose HQ is in Windsor — but with a new Chelsea flagship convenient for Kate — the Cambridges moving to Windsor makes “utter sense’’. “If you’re a working royal, what people regard as ‘real country’ is not going to fit,” she told The Daily Telegraph. “Here, we’re used to celebrities, there’s no fuss and you can pull up the drawbridge. I’d say there’s no better area for the Cambridges.”

[From The Times]

Parts of The Times piece read as Windsor village spon-con, and I’m now convinced that Kate and William are going to end up in a sexual drama involving the village vicar, a society florist and a prize-winning goat. I think the most telling bit from this piece is the part about the yummy-mummy scene. I could see that being very important for both Kate and William. Kate is always desperate to find someone to emulate and copykeen, and she will likely fancy herself a local, country yummy-mummy. William, on the other hand, will barely have to work that hard to find new rose bushes. He’ll just do the school drop-off and check out all of the yoga pants.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.