Royal Baby Favored to Be a Girl, Ladbrokes Betting Company Says
Duchess Kate is due to give birth to her second child this month.
— -- A girl is now the odds-on favorite for the baby expected to be born this month to Britain’s Duchess Kate and Prince William, a U.K. betting company says.
Ladbrokes, the online gaming company, said today that “82% of all wagers” are now predicting “a Princess is on the way.”
William, 32, and Kate, 33, are expecting their second child this month but have not released the baby’s gender.
The couple's first child, Prince George, will be 2 in July.
“Since the news was announced Prince George is to be joined by a sibling in 2015 the bookies have naturally kept the odds around a 50:50 chance, but punters continue to back the odds of a girl,” Ladbrokes said in a statement.
Ladbrokes reported last month it has seen a surge in support for the name Alice for the unborn royal baby.
"A mystery gamble has developed on Alice in the last few days, and such is the support it's now the joint favorite with Elizabeth at 5/1," Ladbrokes spokeswoman Jessica Bridge told ABC News last week.
A second U.K.-based, online betting company, Betfair, has also reported the name Alice has overtaken the name Elizabeth as the most popular bet for William and Kate to name their next child.
The name Alice is in William’s royal lineage. The aunt of William’s grandmother, the queen, was named Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. She died nearly 11 years ago at the age of 102, according to the monarchy’s website.
Betfair says bookies got the name correct when Prince William and Duchess Kate had their first child, Prince George. George took over 70 percent of the bets prior to the birth, according to Betfair.