In the lead-up to the arrival of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's royal baby, bookmakers have had a mass of punters place bets on when they think the baby will be born. But now, betting companies including Coral and Paddy Power have announced that they have decided to suspend bets. In a statement, Coral said: "The announcement of the birth of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's first child is expected any day now and if some speculation is correct, it may have already arrived therefore we have pulled the plug on our birth date betting." They continued: "We continue to see thousands of bets daily on the name of the child though, with Grace proving the most popular with punters and is a favourite ahead of Diana and Arthur."
Everyone is talking about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's baby
LIVE: Everything we know about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's newborn royal baby
A Paddy Power spokesperson said: "We've suspended betting on which day Harry and Meghan's baby will arrive following a huge increase in wagers this evening which indicate that someone knows something – and perhaps the child is already born. That, combined with the rumours and speculation has us convinced that the royal arrival has already happened and if the betting is anything to go by, it's almost certainly a baby girl."
Royal baby traditions
It was announced at the end of April that Meghan's birthing plans would be kept private so that the couple can enjoy maximum privacy during the special time. Buckingham Palace released a statement informing the public of their decision. It read: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very grateful for the goodwill they have received from people throughout the United Kingdom and around the world as they prepare to welcome their baby. Their Royal Highnesses have taken a personal decision to keep the plans around the arrival of their baby private. The Duke and Duchess look forward to sharing the exciting news with everyone once they have had an opportunity to celebrate privately as a new family."
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This will be Harry and Meghan's first child
The baby's birth could well be missed by Prince Charles if he or she doesn't make an appearance by Tuesday. Charles is due to go on a three-day visit to Germany from the 7 to 10 May, and no doubt he would have hoped the Duchess, who is now overdue, would have given birth by now. Prince Harry, meanwhile, has cut his trip to the Netherlands short amid the royal baby countdown. The visit, which was due to take place on 8 May and 9 May, will now only be a day trip.
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