Royal watchers are waiting with bated breath to learn what Princess Beatrice will name her first child with husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
The Princess of York welcomed her first baby, a little girl, on Saturday September 18 but held off announcing the birth until Monday.
The new royal mum shared the happy news on Twitter, writing: “So delighted to share the news of the safe arrival of our daughter on Saturday 18th September 2021, at 23.42, at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London.
“Thank you to the Midwife team and everyone at the hospital for their wonderful care.”
But the question on everyone’s lips then – and now, days later – is what will the child be called?
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi have welcomed their first child together.
(Getty)Speculation has been rife, with sentimental names like Sarah (for Beatrice’s mother Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York) dominating the guesses.
There have also been suggestions that the new parents may honour Edoardo’s Italian heritage with a more unique name choice.
But it’s the Aussie-inspired name Matilda that has taken top place on betting site Ladbrokes, with the name prediction sitting at 4/1 odds.
Italian names are also popular among punters, with Florence sitting at 9/2 odds, Arabella and Cecelia at 5/1, and Francesca at 6/1.
Of course, being a royal, Beatrice may choose to follow a more traditional path and name her child after a regal relative.
The name Elizabeth currently has odds of 7/1, though another royal child has already been named in the Queen’s honour this year – Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter Lilibet.
But royal watchers aren’t convinced the princess will choose a traditional royal name, given the more unique choices we’ve seen from other royal mums this year.
“It should come as no surprise to see that punters are backing slightly more unusual names for the new royal baby given Beatrice and her sister’s monikers,” Jessica O’Reilly of Ladbrokes told People.
Princess Eugenie welcomed her first child with husband Jack Brooksbank in February, a son she named August Philip Hawke.
Meanwhile Zara and Mike Tindall welcomed a son, their third child, in March and named him Lucas Philip.
Both royal bubs were given middle names that honoured their great-grandfather Prince Philip, who died on April 9 this year aged 99.
Now some royal fans are suggesting Beatrice may also choose to memorialise her grandfather by including him in her daughter’s name, perhaps opting to give her the middle name ‘Philippa’.
It’s already a family name (sort of) – Duchess Catherine’s sister is named Philippa and is affectionately known as Pippa.
But don’t go thinking that these new royal naming trends mean Beatrice will choose something totally outlandish for her daughter.
Beatrice and sister Eugenie have unique royal names.
(Instagram)It’s understood that the Queen still holds plenty of sway when it comes to royal baby names.
In fact, she reportedly vetoed a name Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson originally chose for Beatrice.
According to a 2019 report from The Sun, Andrew and Sarah wanted to call their eldest daughter Annabel.
Sources claimed the Queen believed the name Annabel to be too “yuppie” so the royal couple opted for Beatrice instead.
Beatrice has yet to announce what she and Edoardo have chosen to call their daughter, but royal experts are hoping to see an announcement in the coming days.
