Royal watchers have speculated the Duke and Duchess of Sussex may name their second child Lily in a bid to build bridges with the Queen.
Fans of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle originally guessed that they would chose Diana to pay tribute to his later mother, after the couple announced during their interview with Oprah that they are expecting a girl.
However, speculation has now turned to Lily – which BoyleSports revealed moved from 66/1 to 25/1, following strong support over the weekend.
Fans believe the couple may opt for the name to honour the Queen, whose nickname was ‘Lilibet’ as a young princess.
The nickname was given to Her Majesty as a child and is used by her closest family members, including the late Duke of Edinburgh throughout their 73-year marriage.
Fans of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were wild with theories after the couple announced they were expecting a girl in their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey last month
Fans believe the couple may opt for the name to honour the Queen, whose nickname was ‘Lilibet’ as a young princess and used by the late Duke of Edinburgh throughout their 74 year marriage. The couple are pictured in Scotland, 2003
Sarah Kinsella, Spokesperson for BoyleSports commented: ‘Diana is the clear favourite in our market but that hasn’t put punters off predicting some other potential names.
‘Lily is the biggest mover of the week into 25/1 from 66/1 while Grace tumbled into 16/1 from 50/1 last week as royal watchers continue to speculate with some well-based theories.’
Speculation around Harry’s reconciliation with the Queen comes after reports the Duke of Sussex may delay his return to Los Angeles to stay and celebrate Her Majesty’s birthday tomorrow.
It comes after Harry was said to have held two hours of peace talks with his older brother Prince William, after meeting with their father Prince Charles after Prince Philip’s funeral on Saturday.
On Saturday Her Majesty left a hand-written message to Prince Philip at his funeral, nestled alongside a wreath of white blooms including lilies, which some reports suggested she signed off as ‘Lilibet’
William, 38, and Harry, 36, were last seen in public together at a Commonwealth Day service in March last year, following Harry and Meghan’s acrimonious split from the Royal Family.
Relations were further soured by the couple’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey last month, in which they spoke out against senior royals while Philip, who died last Friday aged 99, lay in hospital.
On Saturday Her Majesty left a hand-written message to Prince Philip at his funeral, nestled alongside a wreath of white blooms including lilies, which some reports suggested she signed off as ‘Lilibet.’
Lilibet was also the name she used to signed off on the flowers at her mother’s funeral in 2002.
The affectionate nickname was used by Philip to describe Her Majesty in several letters revealed in Philip Eade’s 2011 book Young Prince Philip: His Turbulent Early Life.
In a letter to the Queen Mother two weeks after his wedding to Princess Elizabeth in November 1947, Philip expressed his vision for their time together.
He said: ‘Lilibet is the only thing in this world which is absolutely real to me and my ambition is to wield the two of us into a new combined existence that will not only be able to withstand the shocks directed at us but will also have a positive existence for the good… Cherish Lilibet?’
‘I wonder if that word is enough to express what is in me. Does one cherish one’s sense of humour or one’s musical ear or one’s eyes?
‘I am not sure, but I know that I thank God for them and so, very humbly, I thank God for Lilibet and us’.
The odds on the lovebirds paying tribute to the Prince’s late mother by naming the new arrival Diana are now at 3/1, after intense fan speculation following their bombshell interview last month.
Traditional regal names such as Victoria and Elizabeth remain prominent in the betting at 14/1 and 16/1, respectively.
Grace was another name fancied as recently as last week with those odds tumbling into 16/1 from 50/1, while Alexandria has been backed into second favourite at 10/1 from 20/1.
Research from Flowercard revealed that Lily is also the most popular nature-inspired baby name for girls in both the UK and USA.
The Sussex’s baby girl will not be entitled, at this stage, to be an HRH nor a princess due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by George V – but this is the same as what would have happened pre-Megxit.
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.
If born in the US, the baby will be entitled to US citizenship as an automatic right, and will have dual citizenship through her father.
Announcing the gender of their child Harry 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.’
Asked if they were ‘done’ with two children, Harry said ‘done’ and Meghan said: ‘Two is it.’ She also confirmed the baby is due in the ‘summertime’.
The news of the couple’s pregnancy was announced in February with a black and white photograph showing the couple beaming with delight.
It was believed to have been taken in Montecito, California, where the pair now live after deciding to leave Britain and step down from their roles in the Royal Family.
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.’