This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.

Did The Palace Just Hint About Meghan Markle And Prince Harry's New Baby's Name?

The same thing happened before Kate Middleton gave birth to Prince Louis last year.
HuffPost

While royals fans wait with bated breath for the birth announcement of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s little one, rumors are circulating about the little boy or girl’s name.

The U.K.’s Express paper reported Tuesday that it had detected a bug that appeared on the royal family’s webpages.

It’s the same sort of bug discovered last year around the time of Prince Louis’ birth that led people to believe the royal family had accidentally revealed his name.

As Express pointed out, if you search the pages www.royal.uk/prince-arthur, www.royal.uk/prince-james and www.royal.uk/prince-alexander on the royal family’s website, all of the searches redirect to the main royal family page, which currently has a photo of Queen Elizabeth.

royal.uk

But if you try to search for other names, like www.royal.uk/princess-diana or www.royal.uk/princess-victoria, two favored girls names, the pages simply say “Page not found.”

royal.uk

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told HuffPost that this doesn’t indicate much of anything.

“A large number of search term redirects were set up some time ago on royal.uk,” the spokesperson said Tuesday. “This was in order to improve user experience.”

Elizabeth is the current favorite baby name, according to the British betting company Ladbrokes, with 6-1 odds. Next up are 8-1 odds for Diana and Victoria and 12-1 for Albert, Alice, Grace and Philip. A little bit father behind with 16-1 odds are Arthur, James and Mary.

A new name recently entered the mix: Allegra, which means “joyful,” “lively” or “merry” in Italian.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at South Bondi Beach on Oct. 19, 2018, in Sydney.
POOL New / Reuters
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at South Bondi Beach on Oct. 19, 2018, in Sydney.

“We’re scratching our heads as to why we’ve seen so much interest in Allegra, but the bets are coming in thick and fast and it’s been by far the most popular pick of the month with punters,” Alex Apati of Ladbrokes told People.

No matter what the prince and the former “Suits” actress choose, the name doesn’t have to be as traditional as the ones Prince William and Kate Middleton picked for their children, who are ahead in line for the throne.

“Harry and Meghan have a lot more flexibility in terms of feeling that they need to be deferential to tradition and follow a strict protocol,” Arianne Chernock, an associate professor of modern British history at Boston University, told HuffPost for a previous article in October.

“I think we will see some nods to a more American spirit in some part of the name. I’m not saying it would be the first name, but in one of the given names, at least, they’re going to honor both sides,” she said.

Subscribe to HuffPost’s Watching the Royals newsletter for all things Windsor (and beyond).

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.