Royal baby name guessing game heats up

Princess Charlotte has a certain ring to it. Or how about Princess Alice?

Britain's newborn princess has spent her first night at home in London's Kensington Palace, but the guessing game continues over what name her parents, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, will choose.

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There's no fixed timetable for the announcement. A Kensington Palace spokesman said in a statement that there will be no further updates on Sunday, suggesting the announcement will come later in the week. 

Meanwhile, Britain's legal bookmakers have been busy taking in thousands of bets for the baby's name. For weeks, they have been saying that Alice is the clear favourite. But in recent days Charlotte, the feminine form of Charles, has become the front runner.

Other top possibilities included Olivia, Victoria, Elizabeth, Alexandra and Diana, the name of William's late mother.

The newborn may herald a new generation in the monarchy, but it is customary for royals to look to their past for name ideas. The repetition of names in each generation is at least partly an effort to preserve the continuity of one of the world's oldest institutions.

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A princess called Charlotte — which is French in origin — would be a nod to her grandfather, Prince Charles. In royal history, George IV named his only child Charlotte, but she died in childbirth at 21. George III's wife was Queen Charlotte, who was born 1744.

As for Alice: Queen Victoria named her second daughter Princess Alice, who was the great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Philip. Her granddaughter, also called Alice, was Philip's mother.

Many think it is likely that William and Kate would use the name Diana — though probably as one of the baby's middle names. Like most royals, the baby's brother Prince George has more than one middle name (George Alexander Louis), and the same treatment is expected for her.

When George was born in 2013, the royal couple took two days to reveal his name, waiting until after the queen had met her new great-grandson.

William and Kate introduced the baby princess Saturday evening to the world, just 12 hours after Kate checked into London's St. Mary's Hospital to give birth. The baby weighed in at 8 pounds, 3 ounces (3.7 kilograms).

The couple issued a statement of thanks Sunday in response to the outpouring of goodwill and international interest in their baby.

"The Duke and Duchess are hugely grateful for the messages of congratulations they have received from people all over the world," their press office said in a statement. "It means a great deal to them that so many people have celebrated the arrival of their new daughter."

The princess is fourth in line for the British throne, after her grandfather Charles, her father William and her older brother George. She will be known formally as Her Royal Highness, Princess (name) of Cambridge.

Charles and Camilla visit baby

William's father and stepmother, Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, went to Kensington Palace on Sunday to visit the baby for the first time, joining Kate's mother Carole Middleton and her sister Pippa.

Prince Harry, who is in Australia, said about his new niece: "She is absolutely beautiful. I can't wait to meet her."

The royal couple is expected to spend several days at their London home before travelling to their country home on the queen's sprawling Sandringham estate, 120 miles (190 kilometres) north of London. The family is likely to stay out of the public eye in the coming days.

The princess's birth has mesmerized much of Britain, eclipsing the country's hard-fought election campaign on the front pages of British newspapers. A number of London landmarks including Tower Bridge were lit in pink overnight to commemorate her birth.