Alex's Asteroid Astrology

At 8 AM local time on 27 November 2017, Kensington Palace announced the engagement of Prince Harry, fifth in line to the British throne, to American divorcee and actress Meghan Markle. Wait a minute … why does that sound familiar?

Oh, right – Harry’s great-great uncle, King Edward VIII, gave up his throne in 1936 in order to marry an American divorcee. My, how times have changed!

Harry, now 33, has surpassed even his father’s record of bachelorhood, and speculation about his matrimonial plans has been rife for a decade, with no long-term relationships ensuing from his multiple amours. Until the prince began a serious relationship with Ms. Markle in the summer of 2016. Although the engagement itself was made in secret several weeks ago, a chart for its public announcement has some interesting things to say.

We’re using asteroid Henry, Harry’s given first name, for Prince Henry of Wales. There is no Meghan asteroid, by any variant of its spelling (nor is there a “Markle”), but there are two candidates with “Meghan” compounded with a last name, asteroids Meghanarao and Meghanshea. In these cases, either portion of the name can be used effectively as a celestial stand-in for any individual who matches either half, and these Meghanite chunks of rock are no exception.

Prince Harry: bachelorhood drawing to a close…

Asteroid Meghanarao for the engagement chart falls at 9 Libra, conjoined the 6 Libra Midheaven, showing Meghan to be prominent for the day, the focus of all eyes. Asteroid Meghanshea at 11 Pisces is an exact match for Neptune, and has just been passed over by the Moon, now at 12 Pisces. This again puts Meghan front and center in the public mindset (Moon), and showcases the fairy tale nature of the royal engagement, an idealized fantasy (Neptune) of romance.

Asteroid Henry at 29 Gemini opposes Mercury (the Media and the day’s news) at 26 Sagittarius, which aligns with the Galactic Center at 27 Sagittarius, promoting global notice and attention. Saturn is here, too, at 27 Sagittarius, denoting both Prince Harry’s “growing up” and assuming full adulthood with the taking of a spouse (official consorts also Saturn-ruled); and so is asteroid Actor, at 24 Sagittarius, describing the soon-to-be-spouse’s occupation. Henry is also involved in a loose Yod, or Finger of Destiny, at its Apex, with inconjunct aspects to both Venus at 24 Scorpio and asteroid Juno, named for the Roman goddess of marriage, at 22 Capricorn. This establishes the period as a fated (Yod) one for Harry, involving love (Venus) and matrimony (Juno). Asteroid Hera, Juno’s Greek counterpart, is in exact trine to Henry from 29 Libra, and itself conjoins Jupiter at 0 Scorpio, making it high time the reluctant groom (Henry) make a royal match (Jupiter/Juno).

Additionally, the 5 Sagittarius Sun is exactly rising in the engagement chart, a propitious placement, and is accompanied by asteroid Aphrodite at 1 Sagittarius, granting the favors of the goddess of love. That is to say, love is in the air, a focus of the day. A combination of Mars and asteroid London at 22 and 21 Libra shows that the UK’s capitol is where the action is; squared Juno at 22 Capricorn, we see the definition of the type of action being mooted. The T-Square created by Mars/London’s opposition to Uranus at 25 Aries suggests there may be some shocks, surprises, or unexpected developments.

Actress Meghan Markle, about to become Britain’s newest Royal.

It’s important not to make too much of an engagement chart, it’s only the first step on the road to matrimony. But there are factors here which provoke concern. That exact Mars/Juno square could also be read as fireworks of a non-sexual sort in the relationship, particularly with Uranus providing the spark to a combustible situation. Both partners are strongly Uranian natally, with Harry’s Uranus and Mars conjunct, and Meghan’s Uranus and Mars in an exact sesquiquadrate relationship: both are prone to angry outbursts and over-reaction to provocation, not a soothing energy to start with. Similarly, the Moon and Neptune in such close proximity in the engagement chart does suggest that at least one half of the sketch has unrealistic expectations (Neptune) about how her daily life (Moon) will be affected by this decision.

Meghan is certainly tapped into Prince Harry’s chart (born 15 September 1984): incredibly, asteroid Meghanshea at 17 Libra is exactly conjunct not only asteroid Karma but also natal Venus, making this a seemingly fated union. Meghanshea is also sesquiquadrate to Harry’s natal Hera at 4 Gemini, identifying Meghan as a likely matrimonial choice. Asteroid Meghanarao at 23 Libra also conjoins Venus, and is closely inconjunct Harry’s natal Moon at 21 Taurus, showing the potential for cohabitation as well as a truly intimate emotional bond.

Not to be outdone, Prince Harry puts in more than a cameo appearance in Meghan’s chart as well (born 4 August 1981). At 8 Sagittarius, asteroid Henry conjoins natal Meghanarao at 6 Sagittarius and Aphrodite, named for the Greek goddess of love, at 11 Sagittarius. This binds the couple personally for Meghan as well, with the accent on romantic attraction. All these square natal Venus at 13 Virgo, promoting a more lasting relationship than Aphrodite traditionally imparts, and all are stationary in the sky at Meghan Markle’s birth, making them deeply embedded points in her psyche. We’ve seen time and again the powerful impact which stationary bodies can have in a biography, and the trine of these points to Meghan’s 11 Leo Sun reinforces their importance and centrality in her life.

The relationship is likely to have its ups and downs, as do all, but what’s particularly interesting is that Meghan was born less than a week after Harry’s parents’ marriage. Much of the energies of her chart mirror the dynamics of that ill-fated union, as though the cosmos were trying once again to make it work. But will this be a second chance or a case of history repeating itself?

Synastry-wise, their attraction is clear, but also a two-edged sword. His natal Mars at 16 Sagittarius squares her natal Venus at 13 Virgo, while her Mars at 11 Cancer squares his 17 Libra Venus. This shows a strong mutual attraction, but also the potential for conflict. They are drawn to each other magnetically in the short term, but in the long term, are largely looking for very different things, and this underlying mismatch could prove fatal.

Mercury is an under-rated factor in chart comparison, but communication, which Mercury rules, is vital for success in any relationship. Harry’s 5 Virgo Mercury squares his 9 Sagittarius Uranus, so he tends to spout off impulsively, perhaps not really thinking through his responses, and can seem cold or detached, an aspect which is reinforced by having Mercury not in aspect to the Sun. When these two conjoin, communication seems more authentic, but Mercury in square to Uranus can cause one’s pronouncements to seem very alien and foreign to the perceived nature of the individual. There is also a trine from Mercury to natal Jupiter at 3 Capricorn, so Harry tends to be voluble, and perhaps talks too much without necessarily saying anything. Mercury also conjoins Juno at 3 Virgo and squares Hera at 4 Gemini, underscoring the importance of communicating with his partner.

In contrast, with her natal Mercury at 5 Leo in conjunction to the Sun at 11 Leo, communication is a core value for Meghan, something which informs her very being and is of inestimable importance to her. She speaks with her authentic voice. Mercury shows no hard aspects, but is sextile to a string of points including the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter, at 4, 5 and 6 Libra. This suggests that Meghan communicates with emotion (Moon), but waffles between periods of taciturnity when emotionally bruised (Saturn), and a more gregarious, outgoing communication style (Jupiter) when feeling secure and respected. Mercury/Saturn has a well-earned reputation for coldness and withholding, but this is a sextile, not an especially strong aspect, although it is exact in this instance.

The official engagement photo.

Harry may have difficulty expressing himself emotionally. A Moon/Saturn opposition from 21 Taurus to 12 Scorpio is wide, but angular, which reinforces its potency. This is the signature of someone guarded and hesitant with intimacy, and implies that there may be blocks to emotional release, as well as prefiguring the loss of his mother at an early age. Meghan’s natal Sun walks into this opposition from 11 Leo, creating a T-Square; her very presence in his life is a trigger for these issues of emotional distance and problems with connectivity. With her own Moon/Saturn conjunction, Meghan is not unfamiliar with these same issues, but Jupiter also in this mix inclines her to more easily throw off the emotional constipation exhibited by many Moon/Saturn natives.

Both parties have had considerable activation of their natal Venus placements of late, causing reappraisal and transformation of their respective relating/partnership functions. Meghan’s natal Venus at 13 Virgo is receiving the opposition from transit Neptune, which stationed retrograde at 14 Pisces, just a degree past the exact opposition, in June, and made its direct station at 11 Pisces, just two degrees shy of exact opposition, less than a week before the engagement was announced. Neptune aspecting Venus can be a time of deeply spiritual infusion in relating, but it can also signal the donning of rose-colored glasses. It’s unlikely Meghan is viewing the situation clearly, and even as a minor celebrity, used to the spotlight as a successful actress, the level of media scrutiny about to be applied, and which will accompany her the rest of her life, is going to come as a shock.

A close-up of the engagement ring; the two smaller side diamonds once belonged to Harry’s mother, Princess Diana.

For Harry the agent provocateur has been Pluto, which is exactly squaring natal Venus for the engagement, from 17 Capricorn. Pluto has been crisscrossing this point since April 2016, bare months before he met Meghan, when it stationed retrograde at this degree. In fact, Pluto remained at this degree until early June 2016, the very month he and Meghan met, on a blind date. This current exact pass is the fourth and last of the cycle. The Pluto/Venus square is a time of dramatic change in attitude and circumstance regarding relationships, partners and ideas about love and romance. It’s probably not the best time to form attachments, which can be hugely transformational, it’s true, but sometimes at a heavy cost.

Regardless, Neptune and Pluto have been plying their trade in these Venusian waters, and the results are that there’s about to be another regal extravaganza for royalty watchers to enjoy. But stay tuned, it may be a bumpy carriage ride!