The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, are all set to welcome the birth of their second child this summer, and speculation has been building as to what the couple will name their baby girl.
The child will be the first of the Queen’s great-grandchildren to be born in the USA. And considering her parents haven’t exactly shown themselves to be too tied to tradition, many have wondered if the baby’s name might be a bit on the unusual side.
However, there are now reports that Meghan and Harry may pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth with their choice of baby name.
The Sussexes’ announced Meghan’s pregnancy back in February, and ever since then, the debate has been raging. A strong contender among the British bookmakers has been Diana after Harry’s late mother, and since the death of Prince Philip, the odds for Phillipa have been slashed.
The usual suspects have also been suggested such as Elizabeth, Margaret, Charlotte, Alexandra, and Victoria, the last one is a name with massive royal connections thanks to the illustrious reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. Louise and Alice have also been top contenders.
There’s also the possibility that they might look to Meghan’s side of the family and perhaps choose to name her Doria, after Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland.
However, a royal expert has suggested the Sussexes’ might opt for the floral-sounding name of Lily. Speaking to the UK’s OK Magazine, the expert explained that “it would be a lovely nod to The Queen,” as the monarch was known as Lillibet during her childhood.
There’s more than one reason why royal baby might be called Lily
The expert also said that Lily was Harry’s “favorite name.” They recounted an incident from 2019 when the prince was doing a public walkabout with Meghan (who was pregnant with Archie at the time), and he had shown an interest in someone with the name Lily.
The expert said: “The Duchess was pregnant with Archie, she and Harry took part in a walkabout in Merseyside and someone in the crowd later revealed he’d asked her how she spells her daughter’s name – Lily. He took great interest in it.”
And there’s yet another reason for them to opt for Lily! Meghan chose a plant called Lily of the Valley for her bridesmaids’ flower crowns when she and Harry married in 2018.
Duke and Duchess announced pregnancy on Valentines Day
Meghan’s pregnancy was announced by her and Harry’s friend, photographer Misan Harriman who posted a picture of an obviously pregnant Meghan to his Twitter account on Valentine’s Day.
Meghan Markle is expected to give birth later this summer.