Brooklyn lets slip over Becks baby

Victoria Beckham will give birth to a girl next month and plans to name her Paris.

The family's best-kept secret was apparently blurted out to shoppers by her young son Brooklyn on a trip to Mothercare with Victoria's sister Louise and her two-year-old daughter Liberty.

At the store in Cheshunt, near the Beckhams' Hertfordshire mansion, Brooklyn is said to have announced: "My mummy said I'm going to have a sister called Paris." Shop assistants were taken aback when the boy declared his mother had broken the news to him of the sex and name of the impending arrival.

A bystander recalled: "Brooklyn was being quite chatty and was really holding court. Brooklyn said, when he was pointing at Louise's child Liberty, 'Look, that's my sister.' One of the shop assistants said, 'That's not your sister, because your mum hasn't had a baby yet.' But Brooklyn was adamant and replied, 'Yes, that's my sister, because my mummy says I'm going to have a sister and she's going to be called Paris.' "

The onlooker went on: "He was quite sure - and a few people overheard. We were all surprised, especially since children of his age just don't make that kind of stuff up. I doubt Brooklyn even knows what Paris is."

Brooklyn's news puts to rest rumours that have been flying since the pregnancy was announced in February. It is believed 28-year-old singer Victoria and her soccer star husband David, 27, chose the name after a romantic break in the French capital.

Their son is named after the New York district in which he was conceived. It is not known where the new baby was conceived, though friends say the child will definitely not be named Essex, where the couple have a £4million home. They say the Beckhams have known the sex of the baby since Victoria had her first scan at 13 weeks but they only started warming to the name Paris within the past few weeks.

One friend said: "Victoria and David are both over the moon. They didn't mind whether it was a boy or a girl but are so pleased it will be a girl. They have been discussing what to call her and will probably go for Paris because they love the name."

However, the Beckhams ' spokeswoman last night claimed the gender of the baby remained a mystery, saying: "Victoria and David have decided they don't want to know the sex. And Brooklyn is too young to know the difference. All he knows is that he will have a brother or sister."