The newborn Princess of Cambridge was on Monday named Charlotte Elizabeth Diana by Prince William and his wife Kate, in line with the public opinion and bookies’ favourite. Bookies had predicted Charlotte and Alice as their favourite names for the princess, followed by Olivia, Victoria and Elizabeth.
There was widespread speculation that Diana would be included in memory of William’s late mother. Meanwhile, gun salutes in london marked the birth of the baby. Volleys fired by soldiers in Hyde Park and the Tower of london honour the arrival of new royal babies and were last fired when Prince George was born in July 2013.
The gun salute involves soldiers from The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery riding out in a procession from near Buckingham Palace to sound 41 shots in Hyde Park. They are accompanied by the Royal Artillery Band and their 71 horses pulling six World War One-era Ordnance Quick Fire 13-pounder field guns.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “The duke and duchess are hugely grateful for the messages of congratulations they have received from people all over the world. Meanwhile, the two-day-old Princess of Cambridge has already provided a boost to the British economy worth an estimated 80 million pounds with royal fans busy buying commemorative souvenirs.
As the commemorative mugs, plates and T-shirts flew off the shelves, experts predicted she will have swelled the coffers by 1 billion pounds before she is 10. The Duchess of Cambridge’s first baby Prince George brought an impressive 247 million pounds into the country in 2013, the year of his birth. Some experts predict his little sister will end up eclipsing his influence on people’s spending habits because of her likely impact on fashion.