Alex's Asteroid Astrology

On Monday, 5 February 2024, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III of the United Kingdom had been diagnosed with cancer.  The 75-year-old monarch had undergone treatment for a benign enlarged prostate on January 26^th, and was said to be recovering well.  But another area of concern was noted at the time, and has now been confirmed as cancer, though the Palace has thus far not revealed what type of cancer, beyond stating that it does not involve the prostate.  The King began outpatient cancer treatment the day his diagnosis was announced.

The Buckingham Palace statement came at about 6 PM GMT in London, and a chart cast for then reveals a concerning prognosis.  Irritatingly, there is no asteroid match for “Charles,” but the PNA (Personal-Named Asteroid) options for his name abound.  We’ll be using asteroids Charlotte 543 and Charlene 5878, closest feminine equivalents to Charles in English, as well as Carol 2214 (from the Latin Carolus, Charles), Carla 1470 (Italian/Spanish feminine variant), and Charleroi 17428 (literally, “Charles the King” in French); as well as asteroids King 2305, Rey 13647 (Spanish for king) and Roy 14533 (Old French for king) to represent his title generally.  For Great Britain we have asteroid Britten 4079 (phonetic match) and TNO Albion 15760 (an ancient name for the isle).

Before delving into the specifics of the chart, I want to point out the importance of Pluto to this story.  Pluto is the modern lord of death, but it also governs change and transformation, decay and deterioration, rebirth and regeneration, among a host of mundane items, including cancer.  Charles has been undergoing an exact square from Pluto, newly entered into Aquarius, to his natal Moon at 0 Taurus, which rules health generally, and specifically the digestive system.  A cancer diagnosis while experiencing a transit of Pluto to the Moon would be an obvious manifestation of the energy, though certainly not the only possibility, and it seems likely, given the Moon’s rulership of digestion and its proximity to the prostate, that some form of colon or intestinal cancer could be at issue.

This remains speculation until the Palace divulges further.  What we can say with certainty, however, is that the diagnosis came with an exact conjunction of messenger Mercury and Pluto at 0 Aquarius, bringing news (Mercury) about a cancer diagnosis (Pluto).  Their square to Jupiter at 7 Taurus suggests the connection to royalty (as well as the probability that this situation may escalate quickly), and an exact opposition to asteroid London at 0 Leo establishes the venue for both the procedure and the announcement (the prostate procedure was actually performed at the London Clinic).

There is a second, dramatic tie-in to the Pluto factor, with the transit Sun on the day at 16 Aquarius, exactly opposed Charles’ natal Pluto at 16 Leo.  So we have both a transit Pluto and a natal Pluto activation, doubling down on the cancer emphasis.

Is the situation serious?  Government and Palace sources seem to indicate that the cancer was discovered early, always a hopeful sign.  But there is a preponderance of less encouraging symbolism in the chart.

To begin with, asteroid Charlene exactly conjoins Damocles 5335, a point representing the threat or peril looming unseen overhead, and certainly Charles (Charlene) was unprepared for a cancer diagnosis when he underwent his prostate procedure.  At 29 Aquarius, this pair is given angular force and power by conjunction with the 28 Aquarius Descendant, and also lies within orb of Saturn, ancient lord of death, at 6 Pisces.  Saturn, in turn, is closely opposed its natal place of 5 Virgo, a critical hemicycle turning point in its relationship with itself as it continues to transit the birth chart.  Saturn also brings restriction and limitation, and it has been announced that Charles will suspend all public appearances during treatment, though he continues to work with official papers and his duties as head of state.

Charlene/Damocles opposes asteroid Charlotte at 20 Leo and asteroid Graves 18824 at 23 Leo, both conjoined the 28 Leo Ascendant, in a T-Square with asteroid Carla at 29 Taurus.  Having three PNA markers and a symbol of death (Graves) connected to an image of looming peril (Damocles) is certainly an emphatic statement of the seriousness of the situation, but there are other indicators of a difficult period ahead as well.

On the MC at 17 Taurus, the highest-elevated point in the chart and the focus of all eyes, we see TNO Albion at 13 Taurus, conjunct asteroid Atropos 273 at 15 Taurus, named for the mythic Greek Fate who severs the thread of life at death, both still within orb of Jupiter, a possible allusion to the death (Atropos) of England’s (Albion) King (Jupiter), undoubtedly an eye-catching (MC) event.  Also here is Uranus, which at 19 Taurus exactly opposes asteroid Britten at 19 Scorpio on the IC; the diagnosis has certainly been a shock (Uranus) for the British people (Britten).

Additionally, a grouping of asteroid Roy at 26 Cancer with an exact conjunction of asteroids Nemesis 128 and Achilles 588 gives pause, especially as these also oppose Pluto.  Roy of course relates to the king, Nemesis is a source of ruin or destruction, and Achilles indicates a weakness or vulnerability, which, with the Pluto opposition, could prove fatal.  These also square asteroid Rey at 22 Libra, another “king” referent, which is itself sesquiquadrate to Saturn at 6 Pisces, another marker of mortality.  Interestingly, Saturn also refers to abdication, which would be a possible course of action should his health leave Charles so debilitated as to be unable to perform his royal duties.

Asteroid King at 16 Cancer is exactly squared centaur Chiron 2060 at 16 Aries, noted for wounding and incurable conditions, and also exactly inconjunct to the Sun at 16 Aquarius, noted as a health aspect, requiring an adjustment or modification in approach.

There remain to be analyzed two more of our asteroids which can be taken as celestial stand-ins for Charles, and both increase the sense of severity and major change.  Asteroid Charleroi at 10 Pisces also conjoins Saturn, with all the attendant risks of death, while asteroid Carol at 17 Gemini is embedded at station, opposing the Moon at 19 Sagittarius; Carol resumes direct motion on February 8^th.  Stations represent literal “turning points,” crisis moments when things are in flux and subject to change.  In opposition to the Moon, the implication is that a health crisis is looming, something which fundamentally alters Charles’ path going forward.

Having multiple asteroid referents for one’s name is both a blessing and a curse; on the one hand, these “min Suns” can act to distribute negative energies more evenly or balance them with positive indicators.  On the other, when cosmic forces “gang up” on an individual, the way these five markers for Charles all show the same downward trend, then there is truly cause for alarm.

For decades, a number of respected astrologers have predicted that Charles would never live to ascend the throne.  With his coronation occurring just nine months ago, they may not have been all that far wrong.

Looking at the natal chart (Charles born 9:14 PM GMT 14 November 1948, London, England, Rodden Rating A), there are some inherent factors which could suggest ultimate demise via a genital-related disease, as well as some transit contacts at the diagnosis.  Without being too disrespectful to the Royal Member, we can use penis euphemism asteroids to calculate the risks involved.  And by that measure, it does seem that the cancer might be intimately related to the area where the prostate procedure was performed, judging by the limited information available from the Palace and a statement by PM Rishi Sunak.

On a planetary level, the genitals are ruled by Mars, which at 20 Sagittarius in the birth chart is semisquare to both natal asteroids Osiris 1923 (named for the Egyptian god of the dead) at 3 Aquarius and Requiem 2254 (named for the funeral mass for the dead) at 8 Aquarius, both also granted extra force by conjunction with the 5 Aquarius Descendant.  Of course, Mars linked with these death indicators could relate to any number of Mars-related passings, including murder, sports injuries or a hunting accident, but a cancer in the genital region would certainly apply.

Prominent among the penis euphemism asteroids with contacts to death indicators is Pecker 1629, which at 24 Virgo conjoins asteroid Lachesis 120 at 22 Virgo, named for the mythic Greek Fate who determines the span of life.  This could point to a genital-linked malady as contributory to a passing. 

As well, asteroid Dick 17458 at 1 Aries is sesquiquadrate asteroid Rip 7711 at 17 Scorpio (which functions as a death indicator in the form of the acronym RIP, “Rest in Peace,” a common tombstone inscription), while asteroid Wiener at 11 Aries is inconjunct (a health aspect) to asteroid Anubis 1912 at 12 Scorpio, named for the Egyptian deity governing funerary rites, and trine Pluto at 16 Leo, modern lord of death (also ruling cancer).  Lastly, asteroid Dong 150520 at 23 Libra is semisquare Saturn at 5 Virgo, ancient lord of death.

Of possible importance on the day of the diagnosis announcement, transit asteroid Wiener at 8 Aquarius, an exact match for natal Requiem; transit asteroid Pecker at 12 Pisces, closely conjunct natal Damocles, the looming threat, at 13 Pisces; transit Dick at 2 Scorpio, squared natal Osiris 3 Aquarius; and transit Dong at 13 Libra, exactly conjunct Charles’ natal IC (the end of the matter), exactly semisquare natal Chiron at 28 Scorpio (incurable wound) and closely conjoined natal Neptune at 14 Libra (with affinities to the “wasting” effect of cancer).

Of course, as British monarch, Charles will receive the best health care available, and hopefully the problem has been caught in time for a full recovery, so it’s too early yet to order flowers or drag out the black attire from storage.  But if these astrological indicators convey a message, it’s that we might be witness to a second royal funeral in as many years.