Name bets on for little royal

– Charlotte became the new favourite name for the royal baby yesterday, overtaking long-time front-runner Alice as Britain eagerly waited to hear what its new princess will be called.

And punters have been rushing into betting shops to place wagers on a whole host of names.

“It has gone absolutely bananas,” said Jessica Bridge, spokesperson for bookmakers Ladbrokes.

“If it was a boy, I think there would have been excitement, but nowhere near as much hysteria as there is now because it’s a litt le girl,” she said.

While the baby will be formally known as Her Royal Highness Princess (...) of Cambridge, all bets are on as to what name might go between the brackets.

Charlotte was trading with bookmakers yesterday at odds of around 3/1. That means there is a one in four (25 percent) chance of this eventuality, followed by Alice at 4/1, Victoria at 5/1, Olivia at 6/1 and Elizabeth at 7/1, with Victoria and Olivia surging up the leaderboard.

Diana, the name of William’s mother, had the next shortest odds at 10/1. –