Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry name daughter after Prince Philip? Bookie’s top pick is Philippa

Their baby girl is due in the ‘summertime’ and as such, speculation is mounting as to what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will call their daughter.

One name is currently a frontrunner when it comes to betting odds, with UK gambling site Ladbrokes revealing Philippa is now the most popular prediction following Prince Philip’s death last month.

Fans believe the Duke of Sussex, 36, will pay tribute to his late grandfather and include a variation of the Duke of Edinburgh’s name in his daughter’s title.

The odds on Philippa have been slashed to 3/1, while Diana, after Prince Harry’s mother, is 5/1 and Elizabeth, in honour of the Queen, is 10/1.

Their baby girl is due in the ‘summertime’ and as such, speculation is mounting as to what Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured with son Archie) will call their daughter

One name is currently a frontrunner when it comes to betting odds, with UK gambling site Ladbrokes revealing Philippa is now the most popular prediction following Prince Philip's death last month. Pictured, Prince Harry and his grandfather in 2014

One name is currently a frontrunner when it comes to betting odds, with UK gambling site Ladbrokes revealing Philippa is now the most popular prediction following Prince Philip’s death last month. Pictured, Prince Harry and his grandfather in 2014

Jessica O’Reilly of Ladbrokes said: ‘Royal fans are increasingly hopeful that Harry and Meghan will name their daughter Philippa, and we’ve been forced to cut the odds accordingly as it’s the only name punters are backing right now.’

She added: ‘It certainly wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Diana is used, though it seems more likely it will be a middle name. Elizabeth is also proving a popular bet, with royalists thinking it could be an olive branch from the couple to Her Majesty.’

If the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, they wouldn’t be the first royal couple to do so.

Betting odds revealed for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s daughter’s name

Philippa 3/1

Diana 5/1

Elizabeth 10/1

Allegra 10/1

Alexandria 12/1

Grace 16/1

Emma 16/1

Rose 16/1

Alice 16/1

Victoria 16/1

Prince Philip’s granddaughters Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall both paid tribute to their beloved grandfather by naming their newborn sons after him.

But in a tragic turn of events, the Duke of Edinburgh never had the chance to meet the two great-grandsons who were named in his honour.

Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank, who married in October 2018, named their first child, a son born in February, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank.

A month later her cousin Zara Tindall and her husband Mike welcomed a boy, Lucas Philip Tindall.

Due to lockdown restrictions, it is thought that Eugenie and Zara never had the opportunity to introduce their newborn sons to their grandfather before his death on April 9 at the age of 99.

Meghan and Harry revealed during their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in March that their second child is a girl and is due to be born this summer.

Prince Harry joined his wife for the second half of the much-anticipated interview on CBS to reveal the news, excitedly telling the chat show host: ‘It’s a girl.’

He said his first thought was ‘amazing’ when he learned they were having a girl, adding: ‘Just grateful. To have any child, any one or any two, would have been amazing.

‘But to have a boy and then a girl, I mean what more can you ask for? Now we’ve got our family, we got the four of us and our two dogs.’

Fans believe the Duke of Sussex, 36, will pay tribute to his late grandfather and include a variation of the Duke of Edinburgh's name in his daughter's title. Pictured, Meghan Markle

Fans believe the Duke of Sussex, 36, will pay tribute to his late grandfather and include a variation of the Duke of Edinburgh’s name in his daughter’s title. Pictured, Meghan MarkleĀ 

Asked if they were ‘done’ with two children, Harry said ‘done’ and Meghan said: ‘Two is it.’

The girl will not be entitled, at this stage, to be an HRH nor a princess title due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by George V – but this is the same as what would have happened before they stepped back from senior duties.

The baby is entitled to be a Lady, but Harry and Meghan will again opt to style their second-born a plain Miss, with the surname Mountbatten-Windsor.

Harry and Meghan first announced on Valentine’s Day that they are expecting a second child, saying they were ‘overjoyed’ at the pregnancy.

Their news echoed Princess Diana’s announcement of her own second child – Prince Harry – which was printed in newspapers on Valentine’s Day in 1984.

A spokesman for the couple said at the time: ‘We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child.’