LONDON — The duke and duchess of Cambridge have named the royal baby Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, a Kensington Palace statement said Monday.
The newest United Kingdom royal, a girl born Saturday, has has the middle names that hark to her great grandmother, the current queen, and her paternal grandmother, Princess Diana, who died in 1997.
Charlotte Elizabeth Diana is fourth in line to the throne — after her grandfather, Prince Charles; her father, Prince William; and her brother, Prince George.
She will be called Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. Her mother is Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge.
The newborn princess was stealing the spotlight from the country’s politicians just three days before a crucial election.
Bookmakers in the U.K. received more than $1.5 million in bets on the baby princess’ name — more than what has been wagered on the election.
Alice emerged as the unlikely favorite for the baby’s name in the past few weeks. The odds on Alice were cut to 2/1 from 32/1 in just a few weeks, said Rupert Adams, a spokesman for William Hill.
Alice overtook other royal favorites, including Charlotte at 5/2 and Elizabeth at 7/1. The odds on the girl being named after her late grandmother Princess Diana were at 10/1.
“Royal Baby betting has gone through the roof several times already, and the fact that it’s currently more popular than the General Election speaks volumes about how excited the country is to have a new princess,” said Jessica Bridge, a spokeswoman for Ladbrokes.
Royal babies tend to have historical names with tradition in the family.
Still, that didn’t prevent one gambler from throwing a stake on the couple naming their second born Elvis at odds of 1,000/1.
Last time, the odds proved to be a reliable indicator of the name. Although it took William and Kate three days to decide, punters clearly knew better: George was the favorite throughout the run-up to the big day.