Story highlights
Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their first child soon
Oddsmakers are taking bets on what the royal baby's name might be
Is the baby more likely to be a boy or a girl? Catherine's health might provide a hint
Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, are expecting their first baby this month.
As the world awaits the arrival, here’s a look at some interesting statistics and facts about royal births in Britain:
4 - The number of first names Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry all have: Charles’ full name is Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor, William’s is William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor, and Harry’s is Henry Charles Albert David Windsor.
The royal baby will probably have a lot of names, too, including the title prince (or princess) of Cambridge.
200 to 1 - The odds William and Catherine will name a girl Adele or Britney, or a boy Barack, according to oddsmakers at Ladbrokes.
5,000 to 1 - The odds they will choose North for the name, according to Ladbrokes. Too bad that has already been taken.
723,913 - Live births in England and Wales in 2011, the most recent year for which statistics are available from the Office for National Statistics.
1.34% - The chance of giving birth to twins in the United Kingdom, not counting in vitro fertilization.
50% - Greater likelihood that the royal baby is a girl, according to a study of women in Washington hospitalized for hyperemesis gravidarum. Catherine was hospitalized for this condition, which is essentially nausea that leads to vomiting and dehydration, in December 2012.
2,013 - Silver pennies coined by the Royal Mint, to be given to UK babies who are born on the same day as the royal heir.
32.6 - The average age of fathers for English and Welsh babies born in the year 2011.
31 - Prince William’s age when the royal baby will be born. He turned 31 on June 21.
29.7 - The average age of mothers for English and Welsh babies born in 2011.
31 - Catherine’s age when the royal baby will be born. Her birthday is January 9, and she is almost six months older than Prince William.
2 weeks - The length of Prince William’s “statutory paternity leave,” which is typical for an employee of the Royal Air Force.
7 pounds, 1.5 ounces - Prince William’s birth weight.
103 - Years that passed between the births of a baby to a reigning monarch. Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II’s second son and third child, was born at Buckingham Palace on February 19, 1960. Queen Victoria’s last child, Beatrice, was born in 1857.
3 of 4 - The number of children born at Buckingham Palace to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Charles, Andrew and Edward were born at the palace, while Anne was born at London’s Clarence House in 1950.
8 - number of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren.
8-8-88 - The birthday of Princess Beatrice, the elder daughter of Prince Andrew (August 8, 1988).
4 - The number of great-grandchildren Queen Elizabeth will soon have. Her grandson Peter Phillips and his wife, Autumn, have two children: Savannah (2010) and Isla (2012). Her granddaughter Zara Tindall, and Tindall’s husband, Mike, recently announced Zara’s pregnancy. Then there’s William and Catherine’s baby.
