Royal baby: when is it due and will it be called Elizabeth?

Royal baby: when is it due and will it be called Elizabeth?

With the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge due to welcome their second child late April the name Elizabeth is proving to be the favourite among bookmakers.

Bettingopened on the name and gender of royal baby number two just hours after Clarence House confirmed that Kate Middleton was pregnant.

The Duchess has insisted that the sex of her second child will remain a surprise, but it is girls’ names that currently dominate the bookies’ five top spots for royal baby names, with Elizabeth, Charlotte, Victoria, Alexandra and Alice the shortest-priced bets.

The current favourite for a boy is James, which is the name of the Duchess’s brother. Henry and Diana also feature in the top ten, but bookmakers haven’t ruled out the possibility that the royal couple might opt for a new name rather than a tried and tested royal favourite.

Some are offering odds on the names Tracey, Tyrone, Mohammed and Joffrey. Others are taking bets on the baby’s hair colour and the colour of dress Kate Middleton will wear when she leaves the hospital (top three are currently red, white and blue).

Odds on Kate having twins plummeted from 20/1 to 9/1 and were then suspended at William Hill in September after it reportedly received about 200 bets on the arrival of twins, including “a significant gamble” made in York. Ladbrokes is still offering 3/1 on twins, 100/1 on triplets and 500/1 on quads or more.

The exact due date has not been announced, but it is thought to be in late April. The Guardian notes that the baby could come as a birthday surprise for the Queen on 21 April, a wedding anniversary surprise for the Duke and Duchess on 29 April or, if it is late, could arrive on election day on 7 May.

Here are the top ten names, according to OddsChecker:

Elizabeth
Charlotte
Victoria
Alexandra
Alice
James
Diana
Arthur
Henry
Daniella

Can you finish the sentences?

1. The royal baby is probably due ……………….. .

2. The most favourite name on the bookmakers’ betting list is …………. if it is a girl, …………… if it is a boy.

3. The ………….. of the baby is a secret.

4. The baby may come as a ……………… for the Queen on …………….. .

5. The Duke and Duchess celebrate their …………….. on 29 April.

6.  7 May is ……………. day this year in the UK.

Key:

1. late April
2. Elizabeth, James
3. gender
4. birthday surprise , 21 April
5. wedding anniversary
6. election