THE news of the imminent arrival of a royal baby will be well received by even some of the most flint-hearted republicans.
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The expecting parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in the early stages of the pregnancy and the Duchess' morning sickness has generated plenty of [well-deserved] sympathy - except from those within the office who didn't suffer during their own pregnancy.
Jumping on the proverbial bandwagon are the bookmakers which, while offering some people an opportunity, also seems pretty tawdry.
The bookmaking firm, William Hill's early favourites for names are Frances and John at 9/1, with Charles, George and Victoria 10/1, followed by Anne, Diana, Philip, Richard and Spencer at 12/1 and Henry, Mary and Sarah at 14/1.
Frances was Diana's middle name, while her father was John and the family surname is Spencer.
Elizabeth and William are both 16/1, while Catherine is 20/1.
Less regal-sounding names like Kevin, Wayne and Sharon all come in at 250/1, which must a bit disappointing for all those within our community who bear the same moniker.
It is often said Australians would bet on two flies climbing a wall but it seems the English have no qualms with parting with some of their hard-earned cash to lay a bet on such an event.
The parents-to-be recently visited Australia and they carried themselves with humble dignity and gave all appearances of being decent and caring parents, so we wish them all the best for the future.