Now that the world knows about Meghan Markle’s pregnancy — the second child for her and Prince Harry — it’s time to start the guessing game. And boy, will people be doing a lot of guessing this time around. Will little Archie be getting a sister or a brother? Will the baby arrive in late spring or early summer? Will the nursery be decorated in a jungle or ocean motif — or simply a soothing color palette? Will Meghan opt for a home birth at their Montecito, CA, estate, or in a luxe LA birthing suite featuring a lounge area, private doula, and a welcome package of diapers and wine? Then, of course, there’s the issue of what the baby will be named — a tough decision for any parent, but doubly so for members of the royal family.
The types of names the British royals are likely to choose depends largely on where they stand in the order of succession to the throne (via Australian Vogue). First-born children and grandchildren of the monarch, like Prince Charles and Prince William, are expected to honor past ancestors (hence William, Henry, George, Charlotte, and Louis). Those farther down the line are more likely to pick less traditional names (such as Zara, daughter of Princess Anne). The Duke and Duchess of Sussex fell right in the middle when choosing the name of their son. Archie is a popular British name, but not connected directly to royalty (via BBC News). Can we expect something similar this second time around? Oddsmakers think they have the answer.
The baby could be named after Princess Diana
Betting sites are already taking odds on what name the littlest Sussex will be christened. The British waging site Ladbrokes is giving good odds that the duke and duchess will go for another “A” name, with Alfie and Alexandra leading the pack as most likely choices (via Hello!). At this writing, Betfair had Diana as the most likely choice for a girl’s name, which would be a fitting way to honor the baby’s late grandmother. For a boy, they might go with Diana’s maiden name of Spencer. Other names high on the list include Arthur, Thomas, Albert, and Edward for boys, and Isabella, Alice, Abigail, and Grace for girls. At the very bottom of the list — at 201-to-1 odds — is a tie between Donald, Melania, Boris, and Oprah. As for the gender itself, the odds don’t favor either one as yet.
But if history is any indication, Harry and Meghan might just surprise everyone — after all, Archie was off everyone’s radar two years ago when the duchess was expecting for the first time. The prince’s own mother defied expectations herself when her second pregnancy was announced in 1984. An archived version of the Daily Express reports that bookmakers had the names Elizabeth and George as odds-on favorites. (Hopefully nobody lost too much money on that one.)
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