Prince William is like a dream-come-true. With his movie star good looks, athlete’s body and sexy voice, he is the quintessential Prince Charming. He is well-mannered, charismatic and intelligent. Wow! It sounds almost too good to be true, doesn’t it? There are great burdens on this young man, who at 26, has the weight of the monarchy on his shoulders (like his Grandmother, the Queen). The future of the Windsors is in his hands. He seems to be more like his Mother, Princess Diana, than his Father, Prince Charles, but like both of his parents, he has a dark side. With his secretive, intercepted Cancer New Moon, his deceptively jovial Jupiter-ruled Ascendant, and dreamy Neptune rising, he is an expert at hiding his feelings. But, behind the façade, there is a secret, hidden rage. He is bitter and angry for a number of reasons. He bears too much sorrow over losing his Mother twice, once over the divorce and then when she was taken away for good. He no doubt resents the constant interference over his relationship with Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, and he must surely resent having his Mother’s nemesis forced upon him!

Cancer, although a cardinal sign, has an innate stubbornness in that when threatened or thwarted emotionally, there is a retreat into its hard shell. The shell snaps shut and the wounded person defends himself with his sharp claws. There is a surprising hardness and coldness to this sign that is triggered when the person is challenged emotionally, surprising because the Cancerian is deeply sensitive and coldness is not what one would expect from a tender-hearted soul. This coldness is a defense mechanism, and results in a certain emotional inflexibility and a tendency to hold grudges, a trait shared with fellow water sign, Scorpio. With the Sun conjunct the Moon in Cancer in his 7^th house of partnership, Prince William is deeply sensitive emotionally and needs a totally committed and supportive spouse (which he would have in Catherine Elizabeth Middleton ("Cate"), his steady girlfriend of many years). His acute sensitivity is an aspect of his personality he is not permitted to express because of his position. With Saturn conjunct Pluto, this leads to repression and suffering, and he is capable of lashing out when he feels the need to defend himself, or when the hurt runs too deep. Sister Ray is troubled by ominous portents for him, which stem primarily from his afflicted Venus/Chiron conjunct Caput Algol and his MC/ninth house traffic jam of heavy planets in Scorpio (Jupiter) and Libra (Mars, Saturn and Pluto). Prince William has already had more than his share of tragedy with his Parent’s acrimonious divorce, his Mother’s tragic death, and his Father’s forcing him to accept his Mother’s rival as a Stepmother. Losing the woman he loves would surely break his heart, and might bring out his dark side.

Prince William has a dark side with Jupiter in Scorpio; his secretive, intercepted Cancer New Moon; and his afflicted Yod fulcrum, fifth house Venus conjunct Chiron and Caput Algol and opposing Uranus. This indicates suffering in love and/or love denied, thwarted. He has the royal sign, Leo, and ruler of the Sun, on the cusp of the 8^th house, and Virgo intercepted therein. Will his service to the throne result in his demise? It greatly saddens me to see these possibilities, and I pray that I am wrong, for after all, the stars influence, they do not compel. Knowledge is power, and knowing of danger is a weapon against it.

Dr. Shepherd Simpson in his analysis of Caput Algol’s position in Prince William’s chart points out an interesting mitigating factor. He states that Prince William’s Venus is at RA 3 hours, 35 minutes, conjunct RA Caput Algol at 3 hours, 8 minutes, however, the Declination is much further apart with Prince William’s Venus at 17˚23" and Caput Algol at 40˚57", a safe distance away. Sister Ray recommends Dr. Simpson’s excellent posting on this subject at: http://www.geocities.com/astrologyprincewilliam/princewilliamsvenus.htm?200720. This mitigating factor, combined with other fixed star protective influences (as discussed in "The Three Princes, which appeared in the July, 2008 issue of Dell Horoscope), might deflect, or at least diminish, the threat of the Dark Star.

Most of us have a dark side, either by nature or brought on by the vicissitudes of life. Prince William, unlike most of us, is not allowed free expression of emotion because of his position. He is in an emotional straitjacket of protocol and propriety, and this is very hard on him. He copes with a low-key, humorous attitude. His Uranus and Neptune in Sagittarius help, and chatty Mercury in Gemini always manages to come up with just the right bon mot. Sometimes, Prince William can be quirky like his Father, but he is irresistibly charming. With the best resources at his disposal and strength of character of his Cancer Sun, Scorpio Jupiter, and Mars/Saturn/Pluto conjunction, he will conquer these challenges. For this, he will be a stronger person and a better king.

Prince William has an abundance of quincunxes in his chart, four major and four minor: (1) the Sun quincunx Uranus; (2) the Moon quincunx Uranus; (3) Venus quincunx Neptune; (4) Venus quincunx Pluto; (5) Venus quincunx the Ascendant; (6) Neptune quincunx Chiron; (7) Pluto quincunx Chiron; and (8) Chiron quincunx the Ascendant. This infuses a layer of unpredictability into his romantic, marital and social affairs, as the fifth, seventh and eleventh houses are involved. With Venus-Chiron quincunx Neptune and his Ascendant, he sometimes gives the appearance of being fickle when, in fact, with his Cancer Sun-Moon and Venus-Chiron in Taurus, he is serious and loyal in his relationships. In light of the unpredictable quincunx activity; Prince William’s headstrong Venus-Chiron in Taurus; and his secretive Cancer Sun-Moon, Sister Ray believes that there is a strong possibility that he and Catherine eloped and are secretly married! Prince William has an unpredictable, willful side to his character, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all that he took matters into his own hands and had a private, secret, romantic wedding at a time of his own choosing. The romantic Mustique getaway this past summer could have been Will’s and Cate’s secret honeymoon. Of course, the Queen would go ballistic upon hearing of this coup d’état, and make them separate to avoid any appearance of impropriety, and also to avoid spoiling the state wedding expected by the British people. The Queen feels that the Royal Family owes the public a good show, will insist on a big church wedding, and will prevail in her choice.

Speaking of choice, it is regrettable that Prince William’s birth was a result of induced labor (p. 45, Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton), for forced labor interferes with a person’s soul choices. Had Prince William been allowed to come into this world naturally on his own accord, his Venus might not have been so close to Caput Algol, and may have been separating from its Uranus opposition. It is an unfortunate fact of modern medicine that many doctors choose induced labor for convenience rather than medical necessity. This interferes with a person’s soul choices, which is cruelly true in Prince William’s case. Venus changed signs a mere five days after his induced birth, leaving Taurus for Gemini, and moving away from malevolent Caput Algol’s influence.  It is regrettable that the child was not allowed to enter this world at the time of his own choosing.

With Prince William’s Venus/Chiron Yod fulcrum conjunct Caput Algol in the fifth house of romance and children, it is likely that he will experience sorrow in this area of life. There are obstacles to his quest for love. First, there will be the inevitable comparison of his future wife with Princess Diana. Second, the public will probably be highly judgmental of his spouse. Third, he will need the Queen’s approval of his future bride. Fourth, his Father and Stepmother will not appreciate the competition for attention his wedding and the birth of any future royal heirs will receive. Finally, the press will shadow his future spouse, as they have hounded his long-time girlfriend and likely bride, Catherine Middleton. She has had plenty of trouble in her life because of her romance with the future King of England. She can’t make a move without his approval. She is criticized for not holding a job, but cannot just work a nine-to-five job like a normal person because the press dogs every move she makes. Catherine is in a difficult position. Besides the fact that she will never have a normal life, there are powerful forces at work to undermine her. Her greatest foe besides the paparazzi is her future mother-in-law. Camilla is clever and hides her ambition behind a "good-ole-girl," earth-woman façade. Like Prince William and Princess Diana, Camilla has a Cancer Sun, part of a Stellium in her twelfth house of secrets, hidden things and self-undoing. She may fool her friends and her few allies in the press, but she fools no one in the inner royal circle, especially not Prince William. Camilla is doing everything in her power to shore up her own claim to the throne, including undermining any potential competitors, whether one of her Husband’s assistants, or her Stepson’s girlfriend. Her power plays may ultimately lead to her demise. This is foreshadowed by her 12^th house Stellium and its interaction with her first house Saturn conjunct Pluto in Leo.

Camilla’s twelfth house Sun, part of a Stellium with the Moon exactly conjunct Venus at 10˚ Cancer; retrograde Mercury at 19˚ Cancer; and the Sun at 23˚ Cancer, is ruled by Leo, which occurs in the first house of self. It is disposited by the Moon, further emphasizing the twelfth house, motherhood issues and clandestine romance with its Venus conjunction. Camilla raised two children of her own. Through her marriage to Prince Charles, she gained royal status and two royal stepsons. With Saturn conjunct Pluto in the royal sign in the first house, she is determined to cloak herself in the ultimate power for a British citizen, namely occupying the centuries-old royal throne. As the second-highest ranking woman in Great Britain after Queen Elizabeth, she is just a heartbeat away from attaining her goal of being Queen. Saturn conjunct Pluto in Leo is sextile Mars in Gemini in the eleventh house. She is two-faced about this, hiding her ambition behind her "I’m your friend, I’m a good ‘ole girl, let’s have fun" Leo façade. She is good at fooling most people, especially sycophants who hope to gain royal favor. With her Saturn-Pluto square Jupiter, she has often been thwarted in her power plays. Encouraged to rush to judgment by the rash Mars sextile, she has repeatedly undermined herself. The best example of this is her rebound marriage to Andrew Parker-Bowles. Unlike Catherine Middleton, who is patiently waiting for her Prince Charming, Camilla married one of her Prince Charming’s friends! To be fair, the Duchess knew the Queen would never approve of her (and still doesn’t), and tried to find what happiness she could with the handsome Parker-Bowles. How could anyone hold this against her? Unfortunately, Camilla refuses to learn from her mistakes. One of her biggest mistakes was her underestimation of Lady Diana, to whom she referred as a "mouse." (Kitty Kelley, The Royals, p. 271). She is playing the same power games that she played over Charles and Diana with William and Catherine. Sometimes, you have to feel sorry for the foolish way she undermines herself, but she chose to play for power, and is now caught in a twelfth house spider’s web of her own self-undoing. Anyone with twelfth house planets could take a lesson from the Duchess of Cornwall. Time heals all wounds, and public opinion can change. As Camilla ages, public opinion will age with her and could mellow.

Prince William is very protective of Catherine and has done his best to shield her from his Stepmother’s machinations and the howling wolves of the press, but this is a losing battle. Like Lady Macbeth, Camilla will never give up her dream of being Queen. The paparazzi shadow Catherine to capture the slightest misstep or embarrassing faux pas that might sell pictures, whether she makes a call on her cell phone while driving, or falls down at the roller skating rink. Except for the latter misdemeanors, Catherine has repeatedly demonstrated good sense and solid judgment, despite having had no training to deal with these loathsome incursions into every move she makes. Though he hides it well, Prince William is enraged when the press attacks his lady, and must fiercely resent Camilla’s interference. With Jupiter in Scorpio two degrees from his Scorpio midheaven, he knows how to hold a grudge. He holds secret grudges about how his Mother was treated, but it is no secret that he holds the press directly responsible for his Mother’s early death. Although there is currently an uneasy truce between the two young Princes and the paparazzi, the Princes hold the trump cards in this dangerous poker game, and will not hesitate to banish the worst offenders. The photographer who took the picture of Catherine’s fall at the roller rink will not be allowed at the wedding!

Prince William’s allies are formidable – the Queen, his Brother and the future Princess Catherine – but his enemies are powerful, too, the chief ones being his Father and Stepmother. It is said that Prince Charles has a "laissez-faire" relationship with his Sons. See page 203 of the November, 2008 issue of Vanity Fair, "Will’s Cup of Tea," by Vicky Ward. Make no mistake about it: His Father works against him, whether consciously or otherwise. A BBC America program produced in 2006 entitled, "Charles & William: Royal Rivals Or Father And Son," which aired on August 27, 2008 in Miami, explored this issue, and compared the inner circle of Royals to characters in a Shakespeare play. This cast of characters, i.e., the Queen and all three contenders to the throne have dueling Scorpio planets, as do Camilla and Catherine. Taking center stage in this drama is Prince Charles with his Sun at 22˚ Scorpio. Dominating the play is his Mother, the Queen, with her MC Saturn at 24˚ Scorpio. The satellite characters are William and Catherine with their Jupiters at 0˚ and 7˚ Scorpio, respectively; Camilla with her powerful singleton Jupiter at 17˚ Scorpio; and by Prince Harry who has Pluto and Saturn in Scorpio at 0˚ and 12˚, respectively. The late Princess Diana, who will never be forgotten and still plays a role in this drama, also had a Scorpio planet, retrograde Neptune at 8˚ Scorpio in the tenth house. Her ghost haunts the inner Royal circle and probably always will.

The Sun is the center of our solar system, and Charles is at the center of this play. All the Scorpio energy of these seven people is focused on Prince Charles and his Scorpio Sun. His Mother’s Saturn and his Wife’s Jupiter are competing for position, with His Mother taking precedence, stifling his dreams of grandeur, and His Wife inflaming them behind the scenes. Prince William’s Jupiter at 0˚ Scorpio is weak compared with his Father’s Scorpio Sun, but Prince William has the Scorpio energy of Catherine, Harry and most importantly, his Grandmother, allied with him. So, from a celestial standpoint, the cards are stacked against Charles because he has only one ally, his Wife, whereas Prince William has four: (1) the Queen; (2) the future Princess Catherine; (3) his Brother; and (4) his late Mother, who is still beloved by millions of people all over the world. Charles will be outmaneuvered not only because he is outnumbered, but also because his main ally, the Duchess, is not popular and will always be overshadowed by his first Wife.

One can only imagine how this intense energy will resolve itself. Scorpio is the most jealous of all the twelve signs, and it is no secret that both Prince Charles and his Wife are very jealous people. They resent the young Royals, as Prince Charles resented the much-younger Princess Diana, and view the younger generation as competition for attention and the spoils of monarchy (such as they are). Neither Charles nor Camilla will tolerate any competition and can be thoroughly ruthless in eliminating it. The facts that: (1) Charles is out of touch compared with William; (2) Charles always seems to do and say the wrong thing at the wrong time; (3) William reminds Charles of Diana, whom he loathed; and (4) the majority of British subjects seem to prefer William as their future King all make for a very uneasy relationship between Father and Son.

A brilliant professor at the University of Connecticut, the late Professor Emeritus of Music, Petter Juel-Larsen, had a favorite saying that made a lasting impression on the young Sister Ray. He used to pace restlessly back and forth before the class, sometimes walking up and down the aisles, repeating this mantra: "It’s not what you have, it’s what you do with what you have." The Professor’s favorite quip is a corollary with the number one rule of horoscope delineation, namely, the stars influence, they do not compel. So, what can Prince William do to tame the dark side?

With his good looks, charm and ability to touch people’s hearts, Prince William has a bright future. He is intelligent and has the potential to be a wise and judicious King with his ninth house Libra Stellium and his Midheaven Jupiter. The utmost caution and strict security protocol should be exercised at all times for his safety. The British secret service must take no chances with this special young man. The future of the monarchy depends on it.

GOD SAVE THE KING!

Sources:

BBC America, 2006, "Charles & William: Royal Rivals Or Father And Son." (Viewed by Sister Ray on 8/27/08 - 10 p.m. in Miami Beach, Florida.)

Goodall, Sarah and Monson, Nicholas, The Palace Diaries, Edinburgh, Mainstream Publishing Company, 2006.

http://www.geocities.com/astrologyprincewilliam/princewilliamsvenus.htm?200720

Junor, Peggy, Charles, Victim or Villain, New York, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1998.

__________, The Firm, The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor, New York, St. Martin’s Press, 2005.

Kelley, Kitty, The Royals, New York, Warner Books, Inc., 1997.

Michelsen, Neil F., The American Ephemeris for the 20^th Century, 1900 to 2000 at Midnight, San Diego, ACS Publications, Inc., 1983.

Morton, Andrew, Diana: Her True Story, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1997.

Ward, Vicky, Vanity Fair, "Will’s Cup of Tea," November, 2008.