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Royal baby naming frenzy in Britain

Author
AAP ,
Publish Date
Thu, 16 Apr 2015, 8:04AM
Prince William, Kate Middleton and their first child George. (Getty Images)
Prince William, Kate Middleton and their first child George. (Getty Images)

Royal baby naming frenzy in Britain

Author
AAP ,
Publish Date
Thu, 16 Apr 2015, 8:04AM

Parking has been suspended around London's St Mary's Hospital, with many predicting the Duchess of Cambridge will soon give birth.

The second child of William and Kate is thought to be due within the next couple of weeks.

UK correspondent Malcolm Stuart says bookies around Britain are going crazy.

"The top prediction at the moment is a girl called Alice. If it is a girl, and if she is born on Tuesday of next week, I suspect she will be called Elizabeth, because that will be the Queen's 89th birthday."

MORE: Wardens at Windsor Castle going on strike

The birth of Prince William and Kate's second baby will cap a momentous four years for Britain's golden couple, completing their journey from student sweethearts to regal domesticity.

The couple have cultivated an image as down-to-earth parents ever since William drove his new family home from hospital after the birth of Prince George in 2013, his hands-on approach being in stark contrast to previous generations of royal fathers.

The 32-year-old has proudly boasted of changing George's first nappy, talked about how he balanced sleepless nights with his job as a search and rescue helicopter pilot and admitted "a lot of things affect me differently" since becoming a father.

George's birth helped change the public perception of Kate, who was described by novelist Hilary Mantel in 2013 as "a shop-window mannequin, with no personality of her own, entirely defined by what she wore".

She has since gained respect for her battles against acute morning sickness, which hospitalised her during her pregnancy with George, and her reported willingness to stand up to the royal family over George's upbringing.

Additional reporting by Charlotte Lewis-West

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