Alice is hot favourite as the name for Kate and William’s daughter

After months of speculation we know that the royal baby is a girl – The Duchess of Cambridge was safely delivered of a daughter at 08:34 on the morning of May 2nd 2015. This little princess weighed 8ls and 3oz at birth.  And now all the guessing is focused on what William and Kate will call their little girl. But if the bookies are right there’s only one name in town for the new fourth in line to the throne – Alice.

Nicola McGeady of Coral shows her firm’s latest odds for the royal baby name

Wellwishers and supporters gathered at the London hospital from early this morning after Kensington Palace announced that The Duchess of Cambridge was admitted there just after 6am ‘in the early stages of labour’. Almost as soon as she was admitted, fans began arriving to be there to celebrate when the baby arrived and Royal Central spoke to many of them as the wait went on. One group, Amy Thompson, John Loughran and Maria Scott, all correctly predictied that the new baby would be a girl just hours before she was born.

Bookmakers have Alice as a favourite name for the new fourth in line to the throne.  A spokesperson for one of the UK’s betting firms, Coral, said that the name was now 5/4 for a daughter with its closest rival being Elizabeth which is now 5/1 and Charlotte is at 6/1 with the firm. There’s no set pattern for when an announcement will be made but after the birth of their son Kate and William chose to get their baby home before sharing his names with the world so we well may have to wait until after the family has left hospital.  But if William and Kate keep to the naming format they used then their latest child will have three names in total. Their daughter will be Her Royal Highness Princess —- of Cambridge.

Alice was the name of The Duke of Edinburgh’s mother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, who was christened Victoria Alice Elizabeth Julia Marie but was always known by her second name. She had been given it to remember her own grandmother, Princess Alice, who was the the second daughter and third child of Queen Victoria. Alice Maud Mary was born on April 25th 1843. Victoria reportedly chose the name to please her first Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, who had said it was his favourite girl’s name.

Whatever the Cambridges choose for their baby. this time next week it will probably be one of the most familiar in the world. But for now royal fans are celebrating that the Duchess and her daughter are doing so well.

Photo credit: James Brookes, Royal Central