Bets are on for gender, name of Britain's royal baby

LONDON — Is Britain getting a new princess? Prince Charles certainly hopes so.

The monarchy and royal fans worldwide are keenly awaiting the birth of the second child of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. Kate, who has said she was due around late April, now appears to be several days overdue.

William and Kate say the gender of the baby — a younger brother or sister to 21-month-old Prince George — is a mystery to them. That's sparked a flood of bets placed with Britain's bookmakers. Even though there has been no evidence either way, most betters are confident it's a girl — and now Charles has chimed in on that.

The prince was chatting with a 100-year-old veteran at Windsor Castle on Thursday when he brought up the royal baby. The veteran's daughter, Lynda Bateman, said: "My father introduced me as his daughter and Prince Charles asked how many daughters he had.

"My father said 'One — and that's enough!' and Charles laughed and said 'We're hoping for a granddaughter!'"

Dozens of journalists and avid royalists have been waiting for days outside central London's St. Mary's Hospital for any news of the duchess going into labor.

As the "Great Wait for Kate," as it's been dubbed, drags on, bookmakers say speculation is mounting about the baby's name.

"In the last 48 hours, everyone is saying the name is more likely to be Charlotte than Alice," Rupert Adams of betting firm William Hill said Friday. "We can't find a particularly good reason. But money talks, and when we see a rush of money like this, it's often as a result of people actually knowing what they're told."

The arrival of the baby — who will be fourth in line to the throne — is edging closer to Britain's May 7 general election, just six days away.