Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, may be keeping plans about their impending baby under wraps, but that hasnB次元官网网址檛 stopped everyone in Britain from trying to guess the gender and the name of their first child.

If BritainB次元官网网址檚 bookmakers are to be believed, itB次元官网网址檚 definitely a girl B次元官网网址� and Diana may well be one of her many names.

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The William Hill agency closed the betting on the babyB次元官网网址檚 gender a few days ago after an B次元官网网址渁valancheB次元官网网址� of bets poured in from people convinced the royal couple is having a girl.

B次元官网网址淭he secretB次元官网网址檚 out, as far as weB次元官网网址檙e concerned,B次元官网网址� firm spokesman Rupert Adams said. B次元官网网址淚t could be because someone somewhere has seen the scan, or someone has heard something.B次元官网网址�

While Adams acknowledged thereB次元官网网址檚 always a chance the surge was based on nothing, he said average betting patterns over the years suggest thereB次元官网网址檚 usually some truth in rumours.

So far, Diana is topping the bookmakersB次元官网网址� list as a front-running name B次元官网网址� William Hill has put the odds at 4/1. Victoria, Alice, Grace and Elizabeth are close behind, while Albert, Arthur and James are popular guesses for a boy.

B次元官网网址淎 ridiculous number B次元官网网址� 80% of bets taken B次元官网网址� are for the name Diana,B次元官网网址� Adams said. He said he personally doubts Harry would choose a name that so directly evokes his iconic motherB次元官网网址檚 tragic death in 1997 but added: B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 every chance of it being a middle name.B次元官网网址�

Carolyn Harris, a royal historian who teaches at the University of TorontoB次元官网网址檚 School of Continuing Studies, agrees that Diana could be a middle name. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what HarryB次元官网网址檚 brother, Prince William, and his wife Kate did for their daughter, Princess Charlotte (the three-year-oldB次元官网网址檚 full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana).

B次元官网网址淭he choice of Diana as a first name would place a lot of pressure on the royal baby, as the press would constantly compare her to her famous grandmother,B次元官网网址� she said.

Harris believes Harry and Meghan may adopt a similar approach to the naming of other recently born royal children lower down the line of succession: Choosing a moniker thatB次元官网网址檚 traditional, but one that doesnB次元官网网址檛 frequently appear within the royal family.

She also thinks a possible middle name could be Ruth B次元官网网址� after one of MeghanB次元官网网址檚 great-grandmothers, as well as DianaB次元官网网址檚 maternal grandmother, Lady Ruth Fermoy.

Some observers speculate that Meghan, who has long spoken out about womenB次元官网网址檚 rights, could go for a name that evokes strong women in history B次元官网网址� a theory Harris thinks has substance.

B次元官网网址淎 name associated with prominent female historical figures in Britain and/or the United States is certainly a possibility,B次元官网网址� she said. Eleanor, for one, could honour both Eleanor Roosevelt and Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of England in the 12th century.

Harry and Meghan havenB次元官网网址檛 announced the babyB次元官网网址檚 gender or the due date, which is widely believed to be sometime in late April.

The pair declared Thursday they are keeping the birth private and wonB次元官网网址檛 be sharing news about the babyB次元官网网址檚 arrival until theyB次元官网网址檝e told family and friends. That has led many to jump to the conclusion that they are planning a home birth at their new residence, Frogmore Cottage, close to Windsor Castle outside of London.

Home birth or not, the scenario will be quite different from the media circus that lasted for days outside the London hospital where their sister-in-law KateB次元官网网址檚 three children were born. That will significantly dampen the name and gender betting frenzy, according to William Hill, which reported taking B次元官网网址渉undreds of bets a minuteB次元官网网址� every time palace officials announced that Kate had gone into labour.

Whatever name they choose, the new baby will not automatically have the official title of prince or princess. Those titles were given to all three children of William, the eldest son of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne.

Instead, Harry and MeghanB次元官网网址檚 baby is expected to be styled the Earl of Dumbarton if a boy and Lady Mountbatten-Windsor if a girl. That said, the childB次元官网网址檚 great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, could change that if she wants the baby to be a prince or princess.

HarryB次元官网网址檚 first child will be seventh in line for the throne, bumping down HarryB次元官网网址檚 uncle, Prince Andrew.

Sylvia Hui, The Associated Press

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