Royal baby: What will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry name their first child?
Now that Kensington Palace has officially announced that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expecting their first child in spring next year, speculation is already rife regarding what the child will be named.
It’s probable that Prince Harry and Meghan will follow in the footsteps of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge by not revealing the sex of the baby until the day of its birth.
However, that hasn’t stopped bookmakers from placing bets on the name that the couple are most likely to choose for their first child.
Several gambling companies have stated that the duke and duchess are likely to name a baby girl after Prince Harry’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
William Hill currently has the odds at 10/1, while Betfair has even shorter odds of 8/1.
The bookmaker has also placed the same odds on the name Victoria, with Alexander and Alice closely following with odds of 12/1.
“Diana is an obvious favourite with our punters so far, and it wouldn’t be the first tribute the couple have paid to the late princess, while Arthur and Alice have been popular picks too,” a spokesperson for Irish bookmaker Paddy Power said.
Other popular choices for baby names include Albert, Edward, Charles, Elizabeth and Mary.
In 2013, thousands of people placed bets on what Prince William and Catherine would name their first child, with George being the firm favourite and eventual choice.
According to Rupert Adams, a spokesperson for William Hill, the bookmaker is expecting there to be even greater interest surrounding the name of Prince Harry and Meghan’s first child.
“We took eight bets in the first minute today, and given the popularity of the couple this could be bigger than the original market we had for Prince George,” he said.
Some may assume that Prince Harry and Meghan will choose a less traditional name for their first child, having previously broken away from royal convention on a number of occasions.
However, according to Jessica Bridge, head of PR at Ladbrokes, the baby’s claim to the throne may influence their final decision.
“Given this child will be in line to the throne, it’s probably a safe assumption that the couple will opt for a regal name that has been used in the royal family over the generations,” she said.
“However, with Meghan’s USA roots it would be remiss of bookmakers to rule out an American moniker featuring somewhere."
