The Queen’s Death Reactivates Princess Diana’s Chart

It wasn’t my first reaction to look at Princess Diana’s chart when the death of long-reigning sovereign Queen Elizabeth II was announced two weeks ago. But as the days passed, and the name of Diana — the posthumous Princess of Wales — was invoked on social media and in the news more and more, I knew I had the look at what astrological factors were affecting her chart.

There’s a misconception that natal charts are no longer active after the native (the person whose birth is recorded by the chart) has died. This is far from the truth. In fact, the charts of notable figures will often show activity when they resurface in the collective consciousness, whether through books, media, or awards. 

For instance, when Aretha Franklin was honored with a posthumous Pulitzer for her achievement as a singer-songwriter, her chart showed many fascinating transits, including one involving Neptune, which is often associated with music. Most fascinating, however, was that her secondary progressed Jupiter finally changed out of the sign of his detriment into the sign of his exaltation, Cancer. An exalted Jupiter, who’s commonly connected to benefits and blessings, is a fitting symbol for a lifetime achievement award.

But, back to Diana. I came across a photo of grieving King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla sitting enthroned in Westminster Hall. Diana remains a beloved figure for many, and for those people, social media sentiment could essentially be summed up as, “It should have been Diana on that throne.”

So, like any good astrologer, I calculated the charts. Sure enough, the planets pointed to a resurgence of Diana’s prominence. My eye was immediately drawn to transiting Neptune activating natal Venus. In Diana’s birth chart, her Venus is involved in a T-square — a three-some of sorts — which reminded me of a famous quote she had about her marriage to then-Prince Charles: “There were three of us in this marriage.” Neptune’s influence was essentially re-activating the rancor surrounding Charles’ infamous infidelity. 

Saturn, at the time of Queen Elizabeth’s death, was moving through Diana’s house of communication directly opposite her natal Uranus, which is often associated with technology, social media and electronics. This astro weather, for me, spoke to the chatter online about Diana’s role in the still-unfolding saga of the Windsors, a traditional establishment (Saturn). Her image was everywhere on social media, along with old video footage of her young boys William and Harry trailing behind the casket of their mother. I don’t think there could be a scenario where the queen dies and the ghost of Diana doesn’t loom over the narrative – the two are intrinsically linked.

Jupiter — Diana’s most positive planet, as well as the planet that most represents her in the natal chart — was lighting up a host of planets via transit. Jupiter, moving through her fifth house of children, was highlighting her boys William and Harry. The planet was in a square to both natal Mercury and natal Sun in the eighth house of inheritance. 

The Jupiter-Mercury interchange points to William taking on elevated prominence as the new heir-apparent to the throne behind his father. Mercury, the planet of communication, could mean that William is being given more a voice and will be heard from more frequently and widely. The Jupiter-Sun portion of this interchange really speaks to the visibility of her children. There’s tension in these interchanges, too, given that we’re dealing with a square aspect. If you ask me, I’d say this points toward the rift that has developed between her sons over Harry’s wife Meghan Markle

Secondary progressions, in which the natal chart is moved one day for each year of a person’s life, is a great timing technique to confirm the narrative that appears to be unfolding via transit. Sure enough, the story of Diana’s boys are there in the chart.

Progressed Mars, the planet that rules children for her, is square the natal Sun. He’s also in the house of her MC, the angle that rules public prominence for Diana. Given that the natal Sun is in the eighth, we’re getting the story of inheritance with the elevation of William to next in line. The eighth also rules death, and the natal Sun’s placement here is tied up in the story of Diana’s untimely passing.

While the outer planets can’t tell us much in a progressed chart, I do find it interesting that progressed Neptune reached perfection with the degree of the natal Sun — exactly 9 degrees. He’s in the house of hidden enemies, which I think speaks to the feelings surrounding Charles’ infidelity, the role of his mistress Camilla, as well as the deep emotional connection that the public had to Diana.

Transits and progressions can tell us so much about the current climate surrounding your life. They can also be used to forecast into the future, helping to tell your unfolding story. If you’re interested in a year-ahead forecast, book a consultation today. Together we can plot a roadmap to help you time your life with astrology.