Is This Meghan And Harry's Top Baby Name?
Could this be the one? Ever since Meghan Markle and Prince Harry revealed in March the sex of upcoming baby no. 2 to Oprah Winfrey, Internet speculation has roamed wild over what the couple will name their daughter. "Diana is the clear favorite in our market now," British betting company Coral spokesperson Harry Aitkenhead told Metro in March (via HuffPost). "We are convinced it will feature somewhere in the name, going 5-1 that it is the new arrival's first name."
According to Us Weekly, the Duchess of Sussex had indicated in October 2018 that the couple might have some preferred baby names picked out while still pregnant with son Archie (not yet knowing his sex). "We've been given a long list of names from everyone. We're going to sit down and have a look at them," Meghan said on an Australian royal tour with Harry, with the prince stating — perhaps tongue-in-cheek — that Harriet was a "great name" for a girl.
And on a visit to St. Anne's Catholic Primary School students three months later, per the outlet, Harry had asked a mom how to spell her daughter's name, "Lily." Most endearingly, as a seven-year-old girl at the school later told reporters, she apparently asked Meghan if she liked the name "Amy" for a daughter. The duchess reportedly replied, "That's a really pretty name, I like it. We'll have to think about it." Keep reading to see the latest potential baby name for Meghan and Harry's daughter.
"Philippa" wouldn't just be a tribute to Harry's late grandfather, Prince Philip
On May 11, U.K. gambling site Ladbrokes named "Philippa" as another front-runner in baby name predictions for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's daughter, People reported. "The support for baby Philippa is showing no signs of slowing down, and we've been forced to trim the odds again that it's the name for Harry and Meghan's daughter," the betting company's Jessica O'Reilly told People, revealing odds were cut down to 3-1 in favor of the name.
Likely chosen in part because it pays tribute to Harry's deceased grandfather, Prince Philip (who died inApril 2021), "Philippa," as People noted, has a secondary meaning of probable significance to Harry and Meghan, who is biracial. Philippa of Hainault, as People wrote, was King Edward III's wife and the first Black queen of England. Born in 1310, according to the African-American Registry, Philippa had "Black Moorish ancestry." As queen, she managed to retain the affection of the English people with her background and foreign entourage, per AAREG. Serving as queen from 1330-1369, Philippa was documented as a benevolent ruler.
Described as "the most gentle Queen, most liberal, and most courteous that ever was queen in her days" by historian Jean Froissart (via the African-American Registry), Philippa's most notable act as queen was convincing Edward to "spare the lives of the Burghers of Calais" in 1347 after he laid siege to the city. Sounds like a fitting namesake for Meghan and Harry's daughter!