(25 July 2013) Britain gained a new heir to the throne on Monday with the birth of Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge at 4.24 pm in London. The son of the Prince William and Kate Middleton will be third in line to be crown, after his father and his grandfather, Prince Charles, son of the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth.
As one might expect for royalty, it is a fortunate and powerful horoscope. Prince George was born on the day of a Full Moon, a clearly auspicious indication. As Vedic astrology teaches us, the Moon is the lynch pin to the whole chart and hence is one of the key foundations for describing the contours and trajectory of a person’s life. A Moon what is strong and associated with benefic planets usually means the individual enjoys good fortune and happiness. Conversely, a Moon that is badly placed can translate into many ups and downs in life, increased stress, and sideways career development.
Prince George’s Moon is very prominent indeed. The Full Moon usually confers physical attractiveness and likability so we can expect an individual to get noticed more readily than would otherwise be the case. This is already true with Prince George as he has been born into one of the most famous and well-recognized families on Earth.
George’s Moon is also more striking because lies so close to the 3rd house cusp. He was born with 3 degrees of sidereal Scorpio rising while is Moon is situated at 4 degrees of Capricorn, just one degree from the equal 3rd house cusp. When planets are positioned close to house cusps they often take on an added strength and prominence in the chart. The 3rd house is associated with efforts and determination so I would expect George will grow up to be an ambitious and courageous young man who has a natural spirit of adventure. Since the 3rd house is also connected with communication, he will likely be a very effective writer and speaker and may also have an interest in the arts. This artistic connection is also suggested by the presence of Venus, the planet of the arts, in his 10th house in Leo. Like the Moon, Venus is also placed near the cusp of its house thus inscribing an added layer of fame and status.
But a closer look at the Moon reveals some problems. The Moon is weakened by virtue of its sign dispositor, Saturn being placed in the 12th house with disruptive Rahu. However determined George may be, there is also the possibility that we may be unfocused at times and prone to flights of fancy as plans may not be clearly thought out. He may be filled with determination but there is a chance he may act without thinking things through. A sense of wild daring can be a good thing in small doses but this chart suggests he may follow his impulses a bit too often. The 8th house aspect from Mars to the Moon is also unhelpful in this regard. While it gives more energy to take action, it can make him somewhat more prone to rash decisions.
His Sun is placed in the 9th house at 6 degrees of Cancer. Again, it is quite close to the 9th house cusp so this enhances the Sun’s power. The Sun and the 9th house both symbolize the father, so that perhaps is in keeping with the expectations that George’s father Prince William will be the King of England. However, we should note that there is an important affliction to the Sun through the square aspect of Saturn in the 12th house. Saturn-Sun combinations often have a moderating effect on the ego and can sometimes indicate a reserved and introverted person. Despite George’s strong sense of personal ambition and determination (Moon in 3rd), he may also have to reconcile the desire to move forward with a somewhat insular nature.
And it should be said that an afflicted Sun in the 9th house can mean conflicts and disagreements with authority figures including the father. There is a real possibility that George may not see eye to eye with William on some fundamental issues. It is also conceivable that this Saturn influence on the father suggests that even William himself may not enjoy a predictable and smooth transition to the throne when his time comes to replace his father, Charles.
But it is more likely that the horoscope indicates that Prince George may have his own ideas about his future. His Saturn-Rahu conjunction in the 12th house suggests he may be drawn to foreign places. The fact that Saturn rules his 4th house of home suggests may be spend some significant amount of time outside of the UK, including a period of foreign residence. I am unsure what this may mean in practical terms since heirs to the throne traditionally only spend some of their education abroad. George’s chart has a stronger connection with the 12th house than that, so he may live away from UK for a longer period for whatever reason.
Another remarkable feature of this chart is that George was born just a couple of days after Mercury stationed and returned to direct motion. Mercury was therefore moving very slowly and is quite strong. A strong Mercury can orient the person towards more intellectual pursuits, especially since Mercury is in its own sign of Gemini. The conjunction with Mars and Jupiter in the 8th greatly enhances the centrality of the rational and discriminating mind. The 8th house is often associated with the unknown and Mercury in this place can encourage a love of research and knowledge. One ambivalent influence, however, is that Mercury comes under the exact aspect of Rahu (North Lunar Node). Rahu-Mercury can make a person unusual and ingenious in some way. There can be an affinity with foreign or unconventional ways of thinking, especially since Uranus is square the Mercury. This Mercury pattern could make George process information in an original or even strange way. At minimum, the future King of England could be a bit of a nerd.
In light of this afflicted 9th house Sun and Saturn-Rahu combination, I wonder if there may be some important questions around royal succession at some point in the future. Somehow, I can’t see George not taking his rightful place on the throne, but I am unsure just how much affliction might be necessary to fulfill this outcome.
Out of curiosity, I checked the horoscope of the last British monarch to abdicate, Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor. As I see it, a monarch who abdicates his traditional responsibility must have: 1) an afflicted 9th house and 9th lord (= tradition and authority) 2) and afflicted Sun (the planet of authority) and 3) a strong and perhaps afflicted 3rd house symbolizing strong determination with the possibility of going overboard at times. We can see that Edward VIII had all three of these conditions in his birth chart.
His 9th house (authority, tradition) was very afflicted by the presence of Ketu (South Lunar Node) and Saturn. Ketu sits very close to the equal 9th house and suggests interruption and sudden changes in relationships with authority. The Sun (leader, father, authority) is the 8th lord and poorly placed in the dussthana 6th house. Worse still, it is aspected by natural malefics, Saturn and Mars. This afflicted Sun suggests conflict and strife involving father specifically and situations of authority more generally. To top it off, Mars and Rahu occupy the 3rd house of initiative and courage. Having malefics in the 3rd house can give ambition and determination but it also suggests a headstrong and highly independent nature. Rahu is also frequently an unpredictable influence and its conjunction with Mars here suggests actions taken suddenly. Edward VIII famously walked away from the throne in 1936 to live with the woman he loved, the twice-divorced Mrs Wallis Simpson, later the Duchess of Windsor.
While we can see that Prince George’s horoscope shares some of these qualities of abdication, I think that Edward VIII’s chart is much more troubled in that respect. From this comparison, it seems more likely that Prince George will live up to his promise of his lineage. Perhaps some of those intriguing chart elements will manifest as changes to the institution of the monarchy under his rule. That Rahu and Uranian influence on Mercury could push him away from staid traditions and suggest a desire to modernize or rationalize royalty. I wonder if there is something of the misfit in George, even if he will be quite popular and beloved by his people. A person with a 12th house Saturn is often on the outside of the mainstream in some way and can be seen as a misfit. The fact that his Saturn is exalted in Libra may help him avoid some of the more onerous circumstances of this placement. His Saturn may therefore incline him towards an interest in humanitarian and spiritual causes — including those outside of his homeland — even if that sometimes puts him at odds with the official demands of his position.
