William and Catherine
After a courtship lasting eight years the announcement of the engagement between Prince William and Kate Middleton, or Catherine as she prefers to be known, can hardly be said to be a surprise. We can see they look right together and we surely know that they have put each other, their love and their relationship through plenty of tests so even without the benefit of astrology, they have a great chance of a long and uncontroversial marriage.
But before we head into the intricacies of the astrology I want to make a comment on some of the opinions currently being aired by royal pundits.
First, that Kate-Catherine is a breath of fresh air. That is precisely what we don’t want her to be. Diana and Sarah were both enthusiastically declared to be breaths of fresh air, and look what happened. No, let’s have that dusty, musty, crusty, conservative air that doesn’t bring the walls of Windsor Castle tumbling down.
Second, that the couple are clearly deeply in love. Now, I hope they are but they seem to me to be two great and loving friends, which is no bad thing when you need to stay married for decades. However, it worries me that that great falling-in-love ‘thing’ may have escaped them. I’m not sure it matters so much for Catherine who is fairly Saturnine but it will for William since he has Venus (the planet of love and relationship) opposed by excitable and risk-taking Uranus.
Third, Diana’s engagement ring. Am I the only person who thinks this is an unfortunate omen?Diana’s engagement and marriage brought her
nothing but misery, and it will be a powerful and constant reminder of her life and death. Far better, surely, to have a spanking new ring, chosen with Catherine in mind, and Diana’s sapphire and diamonds made into another piece for her. Catherine being a traditionalist with a modern twist would no doubt have preferred an emerald-cut diamond set in platinum.
And while we’re on the subject of omens. A matter of days before the announcement of the engagement a tree fell into their cottage in Anglesey during a severe storm, causing considerable damage. Synchronicities, curious coincidences, often turn out to have great meaning over the course of time. Indeed, much was made in 1982 of a sudden gust of wind that blew out the candle held by Charles at William’s christening.
With this in mind, I am crossing my fingers and toes that the day on which they marry is not Friday, 29 July – the thirtieth anniversary of Charles’ and Diana’s wedding.
OK. The science bit:
Prince William was born on 21 June, 1982 at 21hrs 03 in London. He has Sagittarius rising but with Neptune sitting on his ascendant there is a strongly Piscean flavour to his nature, which may explain the length of time it took him to propose. He is idealistic, romantic and compassionate but he can also be something of an escapist and a ditherer. His sun occupies the first degree of Cancer and is conjunct the moon in Cancer – hence his deep attachment to his mother who was also a Cancerian – and his desire to hold her close at this all-important moment in his life.
The sun and moon’s position in the seventh house of the horoscope (Libra’s natural home) reveals him to be a partner-oriented person and ultimately a man of the people. Mars and Saturn are conjunct in Libra – a hard aspect for a man to deal with since his manhood (Mars) is constrained by Saturn. Now, I’m not implying he isn’t a man in all senses of the word, more that he is hard on himself and will struggle to make his mark in life. Fortunately, this conjunction is in the ninth house, which is why he thrives on adventure and challenge. And he will prove himself in this way – if he could fight for his country, he would.
Prince William
21 June 1982, 21hrs 03, London, UK
click to enlarge
Plus with that strong Neptune it is no surprise that he has channelled his energies into becoming a search and rescue helicopter pilot for the Royal Air Force. Like his mother he has a powerful desire to serve mankind.
Catherine Middleton was born on 9 January, 1982 in Reading. As yet, I do not have a time of birth for her so I must make do with a sunrise chart. As it is, born some six months before William she is a Capricorn – his polar opposite. Like the Prince she has her moon in Cancer and also, like him, she has Mars and Saturn in Libra, although these planets are not conjunct. Much has been made of her level-headedness and, with a Venus-Mercury conjunction in Aquarius, she is certainly capable of detaching herself from her emotions, acting with restraint and showing great composure when confronted with challenging situations. And, never to be forgotten: Capricorn women are proverbial rocks of Gibraltar.
I suspect Pluto will be in pride of place in her chart at the moment, given that her role is completely transformed by the prospect of marriage and becoming Queen. Thus, the early cardinal signs – 4 – 8 degrees of Cancer, Capricorn, Aries or Libra – could be on the four angles. And my guess is an Ascendant in early Cancer.
Incidentally, her Venus-Mercury conjunction is the exact same degree as
Catherine Middleton
9 January 1982, 09hrs 00, Reading, UK
click to enlarge
Prince Charles’ Descendant and Diana’s Jupiter; plus her sun at 18 degrees of Capricorn is close to the Queen’s Ascendant so there is clear evidence that she is the right woman for the job. She’ll make a good wife and an admirable Queen. That’s if there’s still a monarchy as such once Queen Elizabeth is gone. But that’s another story…
The right time to marry
Prince William has reached the right astrological moment for marriage. His progressed Venus is conjunct his sun – the classic significator of marriage – and his progressed moon has returned to its original position and remains in Cancer for the next eleven months. His Saturn Return takes place in a couple of weeks (12 December). Ideally, everyone should wait until their Saturn Return before marrying, since it is only when Saturn has completed a full circle of the horoscope connecting with every other planet and point that we are a fully-revealed individual, capable of making a mature choice.
There are some other, slightly more complex progressions and transits to consider, however. Pluto is opposing his moon and the progressed Mid-heaven has reached Uranus. There is and will continue to be some emotional turmoil in the picture. Perhaps this is only to be expected, and may principally reflect the pressures, especially from the media, that Catherine is about to face, which could impact on the serenity of the relationship. However, Pluto’s theme of death and rebirth must be taken into consideration and may indeed involve a loss of some description within the next twelve months. And while it seems they will continue to live in relative obscurity in Wales, for one reason or another, the couple could find themselves uprooted and seeking a new home. The run up to their wedding will not be without controversy.
Catherine’s progressed moon is also about to return to its original position, marking a period of closure, of which engagement and marriage are two classic expressions. And she too is in range of her Saturn Return which will take place in October 2011. So she has reached an appropriate age to marry. And for all we know there could be many other transits and progressions that affect the angles of her chart, signifying this milestone event.
The relationship; their synastry.
Clearly, the missing piece of the relationship picture is the lack of Catherine’s time of birth and the axes of the horoscope. We have no idea what rises, what sets, what is on the Mid-heaven and where all those planets fit. What we do know is that her moon is in the same sign as William’s sun and moon so she is a perfect reflection of his ideal mate. In Jungian terms, she is his anima. Plus, with shared moon signs there is an intrinsic harmony between them, they feel at-home with each other, comforted by each other’s presence.
Catherine’s Mars being in the same sign as William’s gives them similar drives – no arguments about decor and home design – and their sex life should be fine. There is also no astrological impediment to their having a family, and I suspect this will happen relatively early on in the marriage. Since they were born only six months apart, they share similar positions for the outer planets and Jupiter and Saturn, so we can’t make too much of any interconnections between the charts here. Like many couples of a similar age, they meet their outer-planetary difficulties together and work them out for better or worse!
In any relationship there has to be a balance between the similarities and differences – opposites attract but you need that base note of similitude for longevity. With Catherine and William you have an ideal balance: there is the attract mechanism of their opposite sun signs and the similarities in all their shared planetary positions. In many ways this is a ‘safe’ combination and therefore one that will withstand the slings and arrows of fate, the media and the royal family. Were they to be consulting me about the wisdom of their decision to marry I would give them an A-rating and open a bottle of Dom P to their brilliant future together. They may even save the British monarchy.
Oh, one last thing. That wedding date. It is said William and Catherine favour March but this is either a red herring or an extremely poor choice. March is a cold, windy and rainy month in England so open carriages and the panoply of a joyous ceremonial occasion will be compromised. I
believe they will choose July. A solar eclipse occurs on 1 July – this would have been Diana’s fiftieth birthday, by the way – and there are many important astrological significators around this date. They could go before 1 July, say around 4 June or 17 June, but since this would clash with Royal Ascot, the Henley Regatta and Wimbledon, I expect not. The lodestar, so to speak, is 1 July, so create a space in your diary from the 9th – 30th July. And if I were to be asked to help set an auspicious and fitting date I would choose 30th July – a new moon in Leo conjunct Venus on those all important royal points – new moons are potent symbols of new beginnings. The sun and moon would be harmoniously trined by Uranus and sextiled by Saturn, and at 1 30 pm that triple conjunction would be in pride of place at the zenith of the horoscope with Jupiter, the planet of good fortune in the house of relationships.
Whatever the eventual wedding day, the clock is ticking, the excitement mounting, the cash registers chinging and even if Saturn is eclipsed and the moon in the wrong sign, it will be a happy and glorious occasion.
We now know that the day of the wedding is to be Friday, 29 April. I must admit to a pang of disappointment here since it is, by and large, somewhat astrologically challenging. I have discussed the aspects for the 29th in my December newsletter so if you’re keen to know why I have such reservations, why not join my email-direct service.
Long live William and Catherine!