Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, may be keeping plans about their impending baby under wraps, but that hasn鈥檛 stopped everyone in Britain from trying to guess the gender and the name of their first child.

If Britain鈥檚 bookmakers are to be believed, it鈥檚 definitely a girl 鈥� and Diana may well be one of her many names.

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The William Hill agency closed the betting on the baby鈥檚 gender a few days ago after an 鈥渁valanche鈥� of bets poured in from people convinced the royal couple is having a girl.

鈥淭he secret鈥檚 out, as far as we鈥檙e concerned,鈥� firm spokesman Rupert Adams said. 鈥淚t could be because someone somewhere has seen the scan, or someone has heard something.鈥�

While Adams acknowledged there鈥檚 always a chance the surge was based on nothing, he said average betting patterns over the years suggest there鈥檚 usually some truth in rumours.

So far, Diana is topping the bookmakers鈥� list as a front-running name 鈥� William Hill has put the odds at 4/1. Victoria, Alice, Grace and Elizabeth are close behind, while Albert, Arthur and James are popular guesses for a boy.

鈥淎 ridiculous number 鈥� 80% of bets taken 鈥� are for the name Diana,鈥� Adams said. He said he personally doubts Harry would choose a name that so directly evokes his iconic mother鈥檚 tragic death in 1997 but added: 鈥淭here鈥檚 every chance of it being a middle name.鈥�

Carolyn Harris, a royal historian who teaches at the University of Toronto鈥檚 School of Continuing Studies, agrees that Diana could be a middle name. That鈥檚 what Harry鈥檚 brother, Prince William, and his wife Kate did for their daughter, Princess Charlotte (the three-year-old鈥檚 full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana).

鈥淭he choice of Diana as a first name would place a lot of pressure on the royal baby, as the press would constantly compare her to her famous grandmother,鈥� she said.

Harris believes Harry and Meghan may adopt a similar approach to the naming of other recently born royal children lower down the line of succession: Choosing a moniker that鈥檚 traditional, but one that doesn鈥檛 frequently appear within the royal family.

She also thinks a possible middle name could be Ruth 鈥� after one of Meghan鈥檚 great-grandmothers, as well as Diana鈥檚 maternal grandmother, Lady Ruth Fermoy.

Some observers speculate that Meghan, who has long spoken out about women鈥檚 rights, could go for a name that evokes strong women in history 鈥� a theory Harris thinks has substance.

鈥淎 name associated with prominent female historical figures in Britain and/or the United States is certainly a possibility,鈥� she said. Eleanor, for one, could honour both Eleanor Roosevelt and Eleanor of Aquitaine, queen of England in the 12th century.

Harry and Meghan haven鈥檛 announced the baby鈥檚 gender or the due date, which is widely believed to be sometime in late April.

The pair declared Thursday they are keeping the birth private and won鈥檛 be sharing news about the baby鈥檚 arrival until they鈥檝e told family and friends. That has led many to jump to the conclusion that they are planning a home birth at their new residence, Frogmore Cottage, close to Windsor Castle outside of London.

Home birth or not, the scenario will be quite different from the media circus that lasted for days outside the London hospital where their sister-in-law Kate鈥檚 three children were born. That will significantly dampen the name and gender betting frenzy, according to William Hill, which reported taking 鈥渉undreds of bets a minute鈥� every time palace officials announced that Kate had gone into labour.

Whatever name they choose, the new baby will not automatically have the official title of prince or princess. Those titles were given to all three children of William, the eldest son of Prince Charles, heir to the British throne.

Instead, Harry and Meghan鈥檚 baby is expected to be styled the Earl of Dumbarton if a boy and Lady Mountbatten-Windsor if a girl. That said, the child鈥檚 great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, could change that if she wants the baby to be a prince or princess.

Harry鈥檚 first child will be seventh in line for the throne, bumping down Harry鈥檚 uncle, Prince Andrew.

Sylvia Hui, The Associated Press

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