Soccer star David Beckham and his wife Victoria arrive at Westminster Abbey before the wedding of Britain's Prince William and Catherine Middleton.
Victoria Beckham has given birth to the baby girl she always wanted. But why did she name her Harper Seven?
David confirmed the news—and the unusual name—on his Facebook page early Monday morning. “I am so proud and excited to announce the birth of our daughter Harper Seven Beckham. She weighed a healthy 7lbs 10oz and arrived at 7.55 this morning, here in LA. Victoria is doing really well and her brothers are delighted to have a baby sister xx.”
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Congratulations poured in from around the world, including Posh’s fellow Spice Girls. Mel B—that’s Scary Spice to you purists—sent Posh a shout out on Twitter: “congrats!!! Yipeee another spice baby is born, damn it wish it was me this AM cos I feel like I’m about to POP!” (Scary is pregnant with her third child). Baby Spice Emma Bunton chimed in, too: “Big kiss to @victoriabeckham can’t wait to meet your gorgeous little girl!”
Given that they named their three other kids Brooklyn, Cruz and Romeo, no one expected the pair to christen their daughter Wendy or Joanne. The couple haven’t yet offered an official account of how they arrived at Harper Seven. It’s fairly certain that “Seven” is about more than good luck: the name likely refers to Beckham’s number when he played for Manchester United and England’s national soccer team. As for “Harper,” a generous reading suggests that Posh is a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee. But NewsFeed isn’t feeling generous. Victoria’s increasingly credible career as a designer makes us think the name has more to do with fashion bible Harper’s Bazaar.
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William Lee Adams is a writer-reporter at TIME’s London bureau. Find him on Twitter at @willyleeadams. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.