Kate and Wills prepare for their second Royal baby as a betting plunge continues with an Aussie dark horse
THE countdown to the birth of Kate and Will’s second baby is under way with a betting plunge that could see an Aussie name in the mix.
Royals
Don't miss out on the headlines from Royals. Followed categories will be added to My News.
LESS than a month out from the expected birth of the Royal baby, Alice has emerged as the hot favourite in the name sweepstakes, but with Anzac Day the rumoured due date, perhaps a more Australian name such as Matilda could be the dark horse.
That is, of course, if it is a girl and, as with all things Royal, no-one is saying for sure.
There are however — again as with all things Royal — plenty of whispers.
According to a volunteer worker at a children’s centre in the southeast London suburb of Woolwich, visited by the Duchess of Cambridge a fortnight ago, the baby is due in two to three weeks.
Christine Osborne, 49, told reporters Princess Kate confided to her, “I’m due mid-April to the end of April. Not long now.”
That immediately sparked a betting plunge on April 20 — the Queen’s birthday — as the most likely date of birth for Her Majesty’s fourth great-grandchild but odds on that have since blown out slightly following unconfirmed reports that Kate has been told the baby will arrive on April 25, Anzac Day.
The Queen’s birthday theory saw a betting plunge on the name Elizabeth, taking it to the top line of betting, ahead of early favourites Charlotte, Victoria and, not surprisingly Diana, in honour of the child’s late grandmother.
Most backed boys names are Arthur, Henry and James, although over 70 per cent of punters are putting their hard-earned on the newborn being a girl.
Why? Because Princess Kate wore a majority of pink outfits to public appearances before stopping official duties last week to await the birth.
Less obvious is the reason for the late flurry of money on the name Alice.
Apparently it all began with a flood of bets — one as large as $500 — from Royal watchers in the town of Tonbridge in Kent, resulting in speculation about “inside information” and bookmaker William Hill slashing odds on the name to 4-1.
Investigative journalists have been unable to find the reason for the Tonbridge plunge, but as a spokesman for William Hill told one major news site, “You have to think there is good reason for the gamble.”
Meanwhile one group not known to have put any money on the pending birth as yet, but who have more at stake on it than just about anyone bar Prince William and Princess Kate, are Prime Minister David Cameron and his Conservative government.
Britain goes to the polls on May 7 and with Royal events such as anniversaries, marriages and, above all, births, traditionally resulting in an upsurge of feel-good national pride and conservative values, the Tories will be hoping the birth will be as close to election day as possible — preferably on the day itself.
The odds on that are 40-1, but with his government’s key policies under fire and Labour getting closer with each opinion poll, it could well be a longshot Mr Cameron feels is worth a few bob each way.
Royal birth odds (with William Hill Bookmakers)
Names
Girls:
Alice 2/1
Elizabeth 9/2
Charlotte 11/2
Victoria 12/1
Diana 16/1
Matilda 66/1
Boys:
Arthur 20/1
Henry 20/1
James 20/1
Alexander 25/1
Philip 25/1
Spencer 66/1
Date:
April 10 20/1
April 15 16/1
April 20 14/1
April 25 20/1
April 30 25/1
May 7 40/1
Originally published as Kate and Wills prepare for their second Royal baby as a betting plunge continues with an Aussie dark horse
‘Desperate for attention’: Harry reveals new show amid backlash
Prince Harry’s latest TV appearance has been revealed as royal allies slammed the Duke’s ‘sad’ decision to accept a ‘retail award’
First peek into Meghan’s new ‘relaunch’ show
Meghan has reportedly wrapped filming on her highly-anticipated new Netflix series – with new details about how it all panned out.