Even though Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have left behind their lives as senior royals, a very regal name honouring a very prominent member of the Firm has emerged as a top pick for their baby girl.
Diana, Isabella and Grace are just some of the names that royal fans reckon the duke and duchess will go with, but now bookies reckon Philippa is a highly likely choice.
Of course, the name is a tribute to Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip, who died in April and British gambling site Ladbrokes have slashed betting odds on the name to 3/1.
Harry, Archie and Meghan pregnant with their daughter.
(Credit: Getty)“The support for baby Philippa is showing no signs of slowing down, and we’ve been forced to trim the odds again that it’s the name for Harry and Meghan’s daughter,” a Ladbrokes spokesperson told PEOPLE.
Harry’s cousins Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall have both used the middle name Philip for their sons this year in a nod to their grandfather but seeing as Philippa is the name of Prince William’s sister-in-law (Pippa Middleton), other royal fans reckon it won’t be a choice for the Sussexes.
Whilst Diana would be a heartwarming nod to Harry’s late mother Princess Diana, a source told Page Six that Harry and Meghan’s “biggest concern is that it would make her a bigger target for the media, and considerably increase public interest in the child’s life.”
Princess Diana with a young Prince Harry.
(Credit: Getty)“Whatever anybody thinks, Harry and Meghan do value their privacy and want to shield their children from the intense media pressure they have endured,” the source spilled.
They added that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “fear” the name Diana “would place too much pressure on the child and make everything difficult, from enrolling her in school to travel. And they want her to find her own way in life.”
“They might consider Diana as a middle name, but Princess Charlotte already has Diana as a middle name, and Harry and Meghan have not enjoyed the feeling they have been compared to—and pitted against—William and Kate in the media and by the palace.”
Whilst Harry and Meghan told talk show queen Oprah Winfrey that their baby girl was due “in the summertime” which starts in June in the northern hemisphere, neighbours exclusively told New Idea they believe she and her husband, Prince Harry, have secretly welcomed their second child.
Prince Phillip, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
(Credit: Getty)“It’s so exciting. Harry is also laying low… there’s been no sign of him going on his bike rides or going down to the beach with Pula,” the insider revealed. “Everyone is assuming he’s by Meghan’s side being a doting dad.”
The revelation came after multiple sources told New Idea the Duke of Sussex hinted that Meghan’s due date was a lot earlier than thought when he returned to the UK for his grandfather Prince Phillip’s funeral last month. And on April 21, Meghan looked ready to pop while dropping Archie off at nursery school.
“They were happy for everyone to assume she was due in June,” one insider spilled.
“They were happy for everyone to assume she was due in June.”
(Credit: Getty)The royal couple shared the exciting news that they were having a daughter in their tell-all with Oprah Winfrey.
Proud dad-to-be Harry confirmed the news by simply stating: “It’s a girl!”
“Grateful, having any child, any one or a two would have been amazing, but to have a boy and then a girl . . . now we’ve got our family and we’ve got four of us.”
