The royal baby naming game – will Harry and Meghan go classic or contemporary?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are seen as thoroughly modern royals.

But will the couple go as far as to break the mould when naming their child?

Members of the royal family traditionally choose regal favourites for their youngsters.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge toed the line with George and Charlotte, and Louis has key family connections for the Windsors.

But Meghan is an American ex-actress who may want to draw on her own personal inspirations when settling on a name for her baby.

Harry and Meghan’s youngster is not a future monarch nor an HRH and will only be seventh in line to the throne.

Canadian-born Autumn Phillips and the Queen’s grandson Peter Phillips chose a non-traditional name for their first child Savannah – the monarch’s first great-grandchild – in 2010.

Former Suits star Meghan could also follow the celebrity trend of picking an unusual first name for her offspring.

When she ran her lifestyle blog The Tig, Meghan wrote that one of her favourite baby names was Grey, which works for both a boy or a girl.

Singer Beyonce has a daughter called Blue Ivy and twins called Rumi and Sir, while actress Kate Winslet called her son Bear, as did singer Cheryl, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin named their daughter Apple.

The duchess is the first mixed-race person in modern history to marry a senior British royal and may want to pay tribute to her own heritage.

Harry and Meghan also have a strong affection for Africa, with Harry setting up a charity to help Aids orphans in Lesotho, and the couple camping out under the stars together in Botswana in the early days of their relationship.

Royal aides are also said to be potentially planning for the couple to move abroad for a time, possibly to Africa to continue their work with the Commonwealth.

The couple could decide to take inspiration from Botswana or Lesotho – perhaps for a middle name.

Meghan has revealed that she and Harry have already been given plenty of ideas by family and friends.

During a tram ride in Melbourne on their Australia tour, the duchess told pupils from a local school: “We’ve been given a long list of names from everyone. We’re going to sit down and have a look at them.”

Diana is one of the favourites for a girl at the bookmakers in honour of Harry’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, as is Elizabeth in tribute to the Queen, while Albert, Arthur and James are popular for a boy.

If the Sussexes opt for a more traditional approach to royal baby-naming, here are some of the royal names they might select.

– Victoria

Queen Victoria was previously the longest-reigning monarch in British history before she was overtaken by Elizabeth II in 2015.

She was actually named Alexandrina Victoria and as a child was nicknamed Drina, but ruled as Victoria, which she is said to have preferred.

Victoria – figurehead of a vast empire – was queen for more than 63 years, acceding to the throne in 1837.

She married Prince Albert and had nine children, but mourned Albert’s early death for the rest of her life.

The name has been a popular choice for princesses in the British royal family in tribute to Victoria.

– Alice

The Duke of Edinburgh’s mother was Princess Alice of Battenberg, later becoming Princess Andrew of Greece upon marriage.

She saw little of Philip when he was a child. She fell ill and was committed to a sanatorium. She also founded an order of nuns.

Alice saved the life of a Greek Jewish family by hiding them from the Nazis.

The princess – who is buried in Israel – was recognised by Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial as a Righteous Among the Nations for her courage.

In later years, she went to live at Buckingham Palace and used to walk around in a nun’s habit, smoking Woodbines.

– Mary

Mary is one of the Queen’s middle names.

It was also her grandmother’s name, Princess Mary of Teck, who was born in 1867, and was married to George V, becoming Queen Mary.

Britain has seen two Marys on the throne – Mary I, known as Bloody Mary for her persecution of Protestants, and Mary II, who ruled jointly as monarch with her Dutch husband, William III.

– Alexandra

Alexandra is another of the Queen’s middle names.

It is also the name of her cousin, Princess Alexandra. The Queen’s great-grandmother was Queen Alexandra.

Queen Alexandra, who was born in 1844, was married to King Edward VII.

A Danish princess, she had a happy childhood and was known to her family as Alix.

She was once considered one of the most beautiful princesses in Europe.

– Elizabeth

The monarch is held in such esteem by her family that Harry and Meghan might decide to honour her by choosing Elizabeth as a first name.

A number of the Queen’s great-grandchildren already have Elizabeth as a middle name, including Princess Charlotte.

The Queen, who is now Britain’s longest reigning monarch, was known as Lilibet as a child.

Harry’s great-grandmother, the Queen Mother, was also an Elizabeth.

Elizabeth I, the last Tudor monarch, ruled from 1558 until 1603.

– Amelia

Amelia was the name of one of George III’s daughters.

Born in 1783, Amelia was the youngest of the king’s 15 children.

She fell passionately in love with one of her father’s equerries, Charles Fitzroy, but was forbidden by her mother from marrying him.

She died from tuberculosis when she was 27.

George II also had a daughter called Amelia.

The name was the most popular girls’ name in England and Wales for five years from 2011, until it was knocked off the top spot by Olivia in 2016.

– Isabella

Isabella could also be a contender. It has been a popular name among foreign royals.

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark’s daughter, who was born in 2007, is Princess Isabella.

The name is a variation of Isabel, itself a variation of Elizabeth, meaning “devoted to God” in Hebrew. Nicknames could include Bella, Izzy and Izzie.

Harry’s second cousin once removed Lord Freddie Windsor also has a daughter called Isabella.

– Albert

Queen Victoria used to insist that the name Albert was used as a middle name by her descendants, if not a first, in honour of her much-loved consort Prince Albert.

By choosing Albert or Bertie for a boy, Harry and Meghan would be honouring Queen Elizabeth II’s father, George VI, who was actually Albert Frederick Arthur George but always known to his family as Bertie.

Shy, stammering Bertie was forced to become king when his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated, but won the nation’s affection by standing firm in London during the Second World War.

Albert is also one of Harry’s middle names.

– Arthur

This has been a popular choice as a royal middle name – for the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Louis, as well as for the Queen’s father, George VI.

The legendary King Arthur was the mythical leader of the Knights of the Round Table, who supposedly lived in the 5th or 6th century.

Once popular, the name fell out of fashion but has had a revival in recent years. Former prime minister David Cameron has a son called Arthur.

– Philip

A lasting tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh might see a Baby Sussex called Philip.

Both Charles and William have Philip as a middle name.

The duke – known for his dedication to duty and his acerbic wit – has been married to the Queen for more than 70 years and is the nation’s longest-serving consort.

– Frederick

Lord Freddie Windsor was once best known for the scandal that ensued in 1999 when he was reportedly spotted snorting cocaine.

He is the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

Frederick has been a popular royal middle name, including for the Queen’s father, George VI.

– Charles

Harry may want to pay the ultimate tribute to his father.

Charles is also the name of Diana, Princess of Wales’s brother, Earl Spencer.

Charles is considered an unlucky name for kings, as Charles I was executed and Charles II’s reign featured the plague and the Great Fire of London.

– James

James is a Stuart name.

James I, son of Mary, Queen of Scots, had been king of Scotland for 36 years as James VI when he became king of England in 1603.