150 to 1 bet pays off
One lucky gambler from the UK has won a huge $23,300 (£18,000) payout after betting on Archie as the name of the new royal baby. The unnamed grandmother is said to have chosen the outside moniker because the birth of the baby boy happened to fall on the birthday of her own grandson, who is named Archie.
The unnamed woman placed her bet for $155 (£120) while the name was at 150-1 odds (although it later dropped to 100-1), making her return a whopping $23,535 (£18,120). Touchingly, she has plans to put aside the winnings for her grandson.
The baby of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was nicknamed “Baby Sussex” for a time after his birth on Monday, May 6th. His real name was not revealed until the Queen and Prince Philip had visited the new family at Windsor on Wednesday.
The winning grandmother admitted her bet was more “cheeky” than inside information. She said: ‘The reason I went for Archie was because my grandson, who is born on the same day as the prince, is named Archie, So I thought I’d go for a cheeky bet as perhaps my Archie would bring some luck.
“Here I am, $23375 (£18,000) richer; the money though, I’m going to put aside for my grandson.”
Unexpected outcome for bookmakers
Most bets that bookmakers felt were on the cards were traditional names such as Arthur, Alexander, or James. Another favorite was Spencer, with many guessing that Harry might name his son after his mother, Princess Diana. Most bets placed, a whopping 72%, were on the name Alexander.
Typically in earlier Scottish reigns, the name Archibald has been popular but there has never been a King Archie, which is probably why bookmakers were only offering a (still high) 100/1 payout on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex naming their baby boy Archie.
Ladbrokes stated that only $130 (£100) was staked across 60 bets on Archie and Coral said the name drew just a handful of bets. Both bookmakers considered Archie to be a very unlikely winner.
Alex Apati, from Ladbrokes, has estimated that more than $1.3 million will be won from all royal baby bets, such as gender and due date. He said of the surprise announcement, “Harry and Meghan have settled for a 100-1 shot in the betting and we couldn’t be more pleased for the happy couple.”
Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor
One other interesting announcement is that the new royal baby will not have a title like his cousins but will simply be known as Master Archie.
Although Archie is not a completely original name within the family, it is thought that Prince George, Prince William’s eldest son, appears to have given it himself as a nickname: introducing himself to a dog-walker near the Middletons’ home in Berkshire, earlier this year, he told them, “I’m called Archie.”
In a statement from Buckingham Palace, the royal family announced: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are delighted to announce that they have named their son Archie Harrison. The baby will be known as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.”