Bookmakers have revealed the current favourites for what the new royal baby may be called following the birth on Monday. Alexander, James and Arthur – which were all popular throughout the Duchess of Sussex's pregnancy – remain the frontrunners, while bookies have also seen a late surge in the name Spencer.
According to Betfair, Alexander is the standout favourite with odds at 7/2, followed by James at 4/1 and Arthur at 5/1. Betfair spokesperson Katie Baylis also noted that "a flurry of bets overnight on Spencer, the family name of Prince Harry's mother Diana, has seen the name slashed from 8/1 to 11/2". Spencer is also a popular first name in Meghan's native US.
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Katie continued: "Betting has been evenly spread through the last 24 hours across a number of names, with Phillip at 9/1, Albert at 10/1 and Gregory at 11/1 also proving popular choices with punters. Edward, Oliver and Charles are all at 12/1 as the world waits for the big announcement."
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Meanwhile, Coral also has Alexander leading the odds. Spokesperson John Hill said: "Following a flurry of bets last evening, Alexander is now the new favourite at the top of our name betting and the one we are fearing the most." Alexander is 4/1 at Coral, while Arthur is 6/1, and Albert, James and Spencer are all 8/1. John added: "The interesting name which we have taken plenty of money on is Spencer as we did not lay a single bet on this name before the Duchess of Sussex gave birth."
At Paddy Power, Alexander and James are joint favourites at 7/2, followed by Arthur at 6/1, and Oliver at 12/1. William Hill has Arthur at 4/1, James and Alexander at 5/1, Albert at 10/1 and Philip at 11/1.
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The top frontrunners are all traditional names and have strong links to the royal family. Alexander means defender of the people and is the male version of Alexandra – the Queen's middle name. It is also the middle name of the baby's cousin Prince George, who is George Alexander Louis. James, meanwhile, is the name of many British kings. Harry's cousin is also James, Viscount Severn. Arthur is also a popular name among the royals, with Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Louis all having it as one of their middle names.
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As for the royal baby's title, it's likely that Harry and Meghan's son will be known as the Earl of Dumbarton – the title that Harry was granted by his grandmother the Queen on the morning of his wedding last year. As the son of a Duke, the royal baby is entitled to use one of Harry's lesser titles as a courtesy title. He will also one day inherit the title, the Duke of Sussex, from Harry. But it's unlikely at this stage that the baby boy will be made a Prince. As the seventh-in-line to the throne, the child is much further down the line of succession than his cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who are third, fourth and fifth-in-line respectively.
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