Charlott, Alice favourite for British royal baby`s name

What will be the name of the royal family`s new princess? U.K. media The Independent said Sunday people are busy taking in bets for the name of the baby of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.

The major favorites are Charlotte and Alice. According to bookmaker Ladbrokes, Charlotte and Alice are leading with a 3-1 dividend rate.

Charlotte, the feminine form of the baby`s grandfather`s name Charles, is also the name of the queen of George III and middle name of Middleton`s older sister. Alice is the name of the mother of Duke of Edinburgh, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, and the name of the daughter of Queen Victoria.

Olivia, Victoria and Elizabeth followed. Many also call for Diana, the baby`s grand mother.

Ladbrokes spokesman Jessica Bridge said "Across the industry, the baby being a girl has cost all the bookmakers in Britain 500,000 pounds(750,000 dollars), and if she has one of the popular names, that`s going to be touching 1 million pounds (1.5 million dollars)."

raphy@donga.com