Their friends are starting families and Kate and Will are getting ready to start making family-friendly renovations to their home at Kensington Palace. And their first anniversary is fast approaching on April 29.

From their decision to quietly “shelf” a hoped-for trip to Africa to the Palace’s recent sensitivity to speculation on the subject, veteran royal watchers say the couple is poised to start a family sooner rather than later.

In particular, watching their friends become parents “does help” boost William and Kate’s decision to follow suit.

Although they are unlikely to announce a pregnancy before the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebration this summer, like any couple, “they will let nature and life take its course,” adds a royal source.