Kate & Wills: insider intel on their new Windsor life
It’s official! Team Cambridge have moved to Windsor. To help Kate, William and the kids settle into their new home, here’s our in-the-know intel on life in the Berkshire ‘hood.
It’s official, Kate and Wills and their Cambridge crew have moved to Windsor. I mean, it’s practically a home coming. With the boxes unpacked at Adelaide Cottage – a four-bed property just a mile from the Queen – they have decamped to Balmoral for a well earned royal rest with Her Majesty before the kids go back to school.
Moving is stressful, kids starting school is stressful and finding the very best places to eat out, shop and have fun can feel overwhelming. No fear, Muddy reporting for duty with the very best places for Team Cambridge to hangout. Kate and Wills you can also subscribe here and not only will I be your new BFF but you’ll always be the first to know what’s happening in your new ‘hood.
SCHOOLS
Muddy’s sources were right! Back in June we wrote that Lambrook School in Winkfield Row was the front runner for George, Charlotte and Louis. Well, Kensington Palace has confirmed the Cambridge three are enrolled for September. Having visited the school several times to review (read it here), it is indeed right up their alley.
Just 15 minutes down the road from Adelaide Cottage, Lambrook has an outstanding reputation for producing well-rounded kids. Yes, it hits the academic high notes and feeds into top schools, but it’s also sporty, big on drama and music, embraces the outdoors – keeping chickens, pigs and bees – and every break the kids burst out of their classrooms to the free range fun. Headmaster Jonathan Perry also nurtures a sense of service and gratitude in each and every child. If that doesn’t give you the warm and fuzzies, the fact you’ll never have to wash a muddy sports kit… EVER should nail it. Want to join the royal gang? Get in line, there’s a a waiting list and fees start at £6,448 per term.
OUTDOORSY FUN
Windsor Castle and Home Park is set in 655 acres, so there’s plenty of roaming room for the kids to horse ride, cycle, kick a ball and walk with their beloved dogs in private. The Savill Garden is soon to open a stunning adventure playground so you might catch a glimpse of the young royals there.
A move to Berkshire means embracing the river. Bray Lake Watersports is a lush spot to safely paddle board, windsurf, canoe and sail. Alternatively head down the road and hire one of Cliveden House‘s vintage boats pootle down to Henley with a picnic.
For fun for all the family regardless we’re big fans of Go Ape (Black Park or Swinley Forest).
I’m fairly certain we’ll see more of the Cambridges at Bucklebury Farm – especially as it’s opposite the Middleton’s family home and little sis Pippa and her hubby James are co-owners. It’s the kind of place you can feed the animals and enjoy five minutes peace while the kids run free range. They’ve upgraded the play area and the gift shop, so it’s well worth another visit if it has been a while.
PUB LIFE
Kate and William are often seen in West Berkshire pubs when visiting Ma and Pa Middleton in Bucklebury (The Old Boot, Stanford Dingley and The Pot Kiln in Frilsham, appear to be favourites), so they’ll be keen to find a local. When Princes William and Harry were at Eton their mum Diana would often treat them to lunch at The Hind’s Head in Bray. Heston Blumenthal’s gastropub is definitely one to have on their radar. But for me, The Greene Oak on the outskirts of Windsor is a great family pub with horse box outdoor tables to avoid gawping. Venture slightly further afield to Cookham (a place used to having famous residents) and they’ll enjoy The White Oak and Bel and the Dragon – a place where rugby star Will Greenwood, broadcaster Chris Evans and actor Tom Hiddleston have all been spotted.
SHOPPING
We all know Kate loves popping onto Kensington High Street to get her fashion fix. If she heads to the Royal Arcade, she’ll find her beloved Zara, Sweaty Betty, Whistles and Jo Malone. Venture away from the touristy town centre to St Leonard’s Road for a cluster of cool independents. As ‘climate change influencers’ the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge should have Four.State in their Little Black Book. It’s a fantastic sustainable lifestyle shop selling planet friendly goods, including Muddy’s fave Elvis & Kresse‘s recycled London firehose bags. But there’s also refill shop Zero Joe‘s, fashion boutiques Zobia and Roz Clarke and the gift shop Vinegar Hill is worth a mooch. As for food, well there’s the swanky Windsor Farm Shop run by granny’s estate, with local produce on tap.
SOCIAL SCENE
For Berkshire’s well heeled crowd, it’s all about the socials. The diary is jam packed with summer events – Royal Ascot (obvs), Henley and Marlow Regattas, Henley Festival – the only music festival that requires black tie. Then there’s the hunting, shooting and fishing crowd getting stuck into traditional country pursuits – and Windsor Great Park is a tweed wearer’s paradise.
MATCH FIT
If Kate’s after tennis court alternatives to the Hurlingham Club, then there are grass courts in her back garden. Windsor Home Park Lawn Tennis Club is open from April to September. Alternatively, Bisham Abbey is one of Sport England’s National Sports Centres, offering top level coaching in tennis, hockey, rugby and football, with all the associated gyms, physios, nutritionists and kit you’d expect.
William loves his polo and Windsor is surrounded by prestigious clubs. Guards Polo Club is based in Windsor Great Park, where the late Prince Philip was president. They also have an academy to teach George, Charlotte and Louis the art of swinging a mallet while riding a pony. The Berkshire Polo Club, founded by late rock ‘n’ roll impresario Bryan Morrison, attracts a fun crowd, and William’s old man was a founding member.
DATE NIGHTS
We know family is everything to Kate and William, but it’s good to fan the flames of romance from time to time. Pull out your fancy pants because we’re sending you off to Cliveden House Hotel – a home that has entertained its fair share of royals, rock stars, writers and Hollywood A listers. Alternatively, Oakley Court’s River House – a riverside outdoor dining experience in collaboration with Soho House. All very laid-back and a place where famous faces are 10 a penny.
A few miles down river is the culinary enclave of Bray with its constellation of seven Michelin stars. Go by boat and moor up at Alain Roux’s French fancy The Waterside Inn or enter Heston’s Willy Wonka-style foodie factory at The Fat Duck.
For a VIP spa day, the new Fairmont Windsor Park is the place to waft about in a waffle robe. It has its own VIP spa room that can be accessed via a private lift. Splash about in the indoor and outdoor pools, boost your wellbeing in the cryotherapy chamber (3 mins at -110 degrees), get a rub down on the marble Hammam, and enjoy a gold and caviar facial for the ultimate indulgence.
