Astrology Detective: Princess Diana’s Birth Time
At the time, she was the most photographed woman in the world. Every dress, every jewel, every haircut was discussed in the fashion pages and even the front pages.
As you may know, there are conflicting reports of Diana, Princess of Wales’ birth time, so I was interested to hear a fellow astrologer explain how she had approached the issue – and how she reached her conclusion. The following article by Kristianna Harris shows just how tricky an unreliable birth time can be to rectify.
Studying royal natal charts is particularly interesting, because exact birth times are usually available and reliable. For instance, the birth information for Louis XIV of France, has come down through history as September 5, 1638, at 11:11-11:13 am in Saint Germain-en-Laye, France. A natal chart for either birth time (with only a two minute difference) produces the same portrait of character and personality that corresponds with the person and life of the ‘Sun King.’
The importance of knowing the actual birth time (or the lack of it) used in erecting a natal chart shows with ‘the People’s Princess.’
In 1986 after five tumultuous years of marriage, Princess Diana sought the help and guidance of astrologer Penny Thornton in an effort to find solutions to her unhappiness. Diana’s exact birth time was not recorded, so the initial ‘guess time’ of 7:45 pm turned out to be wrong. Many websites today still publish this wrong natal chart based on the time of 7:45 pm, July 1, 1961 at Sandringham.
Seen over hundreds of years, the pattern of British monarchs is an emphasis of planets (and other positionings) in the the ninth and tenth houses. This oft-repeated pattern of the British monarch includes Saturn or Jupiter…. or both Saturn and Jupiter positioned in the 9th and/or 10th houses. The reliability of royal birth times…. results in accurate charts and the pattern emerges for anyone to see! Royal spouses with a profound impact on ‘the public’ also tend to have groupings of planets and positionings in the 9th and/or 10th houses.
Having been the personal astrologer to Diana…. Ms. Thornton wrote in July of 2001 on the Astrolutely.com web-site:
“When I began my association with Diana I was also working on an incorrect time of birth. It was at least a year before she said to me one day: ‘You know, Penny, I notice you’ve got my time of birth time as 7:45 pm. It wasn’t. I was born just before the start of the men’s finals at Wimbledon – about 2 pm.”
This is chart with the 7.45pm ‘guess time’, which puts a lot of emphasis on the wealth axis (second and 8th houses).
“Thus, instead of adventurous, extravagant and independent Sagittarius rising, Diana had gracious, graceful, charming and diplomatic Libra on her ascendant –– a perfect recipe for the ‘fashion icon’ that she became and her involvement with the British relationship organization Relate.”
The detail of “I was born just before the start of the men’s finals at Wimbledon – about 2 pm,” is compelling. While not an exact birth time, a specific starting place in a 24-hour period is very helpful!
The message and timing mechanisms of a 2 pm chart would be hugely different from a chart done for 7:45 pm. Ms. Thornton decided on a 2:15 pm birth time…. resulting in a Libra ascendant and it appears she continued to use that time as Diana’s astrologer.
This is the 2.30 chart that Kristianna prefers. Note the Saturn-Jupiter conjunction on the IC — growing up lonely in a huge house!
After however, doing multiple, possible natal and progressed charts (‘rectification’) with 2:00 pm as a starting point…. I suspect Diana was actually born around 2:30 pm which also gives a Libra ascendant. When the transits based on a 2:30 pm time, are applied to all Diana’s charts (natal, progressed and horary) the correlations with actual events are astounding!
Diana was an immediate ‘star’ with the Public. A natal birth chart for 2:30 pm places the Sun, Mercury, Uranus, North node, Mars and perhaps Pluto in Diana’s critical, ‘royal’ 9th and 10th houses…. which is consistent with her massive, celebrity appeal and impact on the public around the world. The results of a 2:30 pm time are extensive.
Among many examples…. significant, dated events in Princess Diana’s life correlate with the 2:30 pm birth time in a fascinating way:
1) In Diana’s natal chart: Saturn is conjunct the chart’s nadir (4th house cusp); a very unusual positioning and indicating profound and troubling challenges (Saturn) in the childhood home from the beginning of Diana’s life.
2) In Diana’s progressed chart at five to six years of age: progressed Jupiter is now conjunct the progressed 4th house cusp (mother, family, home) indicating a ‘big’ (Jupiter) change in these circumstances. Diana’s mother left the family home when Diana was six years old, leaving Diana and her siblings in their father’s custody.
3) Diana’s progressed chart at 20 years of age. The progressed Moon and Neptune are now conjunct the progressed ascendant in Scorpio (1st house cusp), indicating incredible magnetism and glamour interestingly, only three weeks before her marriage.
4) Event chart for her marriage: July 29, 1981, 11:20 am, London. (Yikes, Pluto to the natal ASC. ed)
5) Diana’s progressed chart for her 36th birthday in 1997: August 6, 1961, 2:30 pm, Sandringham. (Note Moon in the 8th, as well as Pluto on the MC. ed)
6) Event chart for the accident: August 31, 1997 at approximately 12:25 am in Paris, France.
Again and again, starting with Diana’s birth through the day of her death, transits to critical positionings (indicating significant action) based on the 2:30 pm birth time hit ‘spot-on’ for events in her life. Especially transits over the angles of the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses. By comparison, charts based on the 7:45 pm time are puzzling.
Regardless of the source, birth times need to be scrutinized. If the birth time is accurate or very close to the real time of birth, the chart’s messages and observable events in the native’s life will correlate and make sense.
Thanks to Kristianna Harris for sharing this compelling piece of research.
What do you think? Sagittarius Rising or Libra Rising?
Libra rising. I think you’re right. She was diplomatic and charming from the start. Sag is known for bluntness, I think of larger-than-life, jolly, jovial, fun characters, ‘hail fellow well met!’ slap on the shoulder types, life and soul of the party. While she had presence, she came across as sweet-natured.
Her sun at 9 Cancer is conjunct my MC. My chart angles are the same as the UK’s, so her sun was conjunct the country’s MC. She did seem to eclipse the entire royal family, we only had eyes for her.
My Jupiter is in the 9th house, conjunct my MC. A few people have said I ‘hold court’. 🙂
I looked up about birth times once, as my Mum couldn’t remember mine exactly, and the older she got, the wider the window I might have been born. It’s an interesting subject, you’re right, apart from people like royalty, or countries that record birth time as routine, it’s difficult to know. Then there’s what people consider ‘born’, is it first breath? what? In the end, I concluded close enough is fine. I tried various times in the window my Mum said I was born, using what she told me when I was little, when her memory was better! I settled on 4am, sometimes I use 4.30am, either way I’m Libra rising. I don’t know enough about progressions to investigate further, might be an interesting exercise.
This is Kristianna Harris’ work. My comments are in italics.
Yes. 🙂 I answered your question at the end.
Just didn’t want to take credit for someone else’s work!
It’s ok! It’s clear it’s a guest post. 🙂 I went off on a tangent, as per. 😀
Yes, this is a bit like Liz Taylor, where some people say she was Libra rising and others say she’s Sag. Both women were well known for their beauty, presence and the public adored them.
I think Diana looks like a typical Libra rising – tall, willowy, statuesque and incredibly photogenic. Just my two cents☺
Libra rising seems a better fit.
Sag rising is more Fergie.
I think Libra rising too, statuesque, diplomatic and fashionable. Also the need for a partner, she did shine when she was happy in a relationship. Diana did seem to me to be a true romatic.
Is she still dead?
Progressive aspects and some transits.
Princess Diana:
30-Aug-1997 027°,51’16 Leo Drac 90 mutual MC
Queen Elizabeth II:
30-Aug-1997 007°,51’47 Cancer Sun 45 mutual Nep
5-Sep-1997 009°,57’45 Pisces Moon 120 AR03
Prince Philip Consort:
30-Aug-1997 013°,13’20 Taurus Moon * MENKAR (SAT – )
30-Aug-1997 022°,00’31 Cancer Ven 150 C-12
30-Aug-1997 001°,17’09 Virgo Sun 90 C-11
4-Sep-1997 013°,24’31 Taurus Moon 30 Chiron
5-Sep-1997 001°,35’29 Taurus Asc 45 Pars
5-Sep-1997 019°,21’12 Aries Sat 60 Sun transit
Prince Charles:
30-Aug-1997 001°,23’32 Gemini MC 135 Ven
31-Aug-1997 012°,03’30 Leo C-12 30 Black Sun
5-Sep-1997 015°,25’44 Sagittarius Ven 135 Moon
Prince William:
31-Aug-1997 010°,40’14 Capricornus Asc 135 Ven
Prince Harry:
31-Aug-1997 010°,13’34 Sagittarius Ura 45 mutual Asc
Prime Minister Tony Blair:
30-Aug-1997 005°,59’54 Gemini C-12 135 Chiron
31-Aug-1997 016°,27’39 Virgo Moon 30 mutual C–3
31-Aug-1997 019°,37’46 Aries Sat 45 Asc transit
Princess Camilla Shand:
31-Aug-1997 013,49’36 Leo Pluto 45 mutual C—2
Prince Philip consort’s Saturn 19 degrees Virgo ruler of his Ascendant in 8 House is opposite Dodi’s Venus 19 degrees Pisces ruler of his Ascendant in 11 House.
I am a firm believer in the 18 Sagittarius rising Asc for Diana. First, she has the classic Sag rising female form, with the flat tummy and the long legs.
A few famous women who have Neptune in the 10th house are Jackie Kennedy, Princess Diana, Grace Kelly, and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. If you had to chose a theme, I think it would be glamour. It may be that it takes more than Neptune in the 10th to imbue one with glamour, but the above named do define glamour. I also note that many of them had spouses cheating on them.
So having it all was an illusion. I mean to write an article on this.
Back to Diana, her separation was announced the same month as a full moon eclipse across her Asc. Desc. The separation was announced Dec. 9, 1992 and the eclipse was the same day. (18 gemini to 18 sagittarius)
The Sagittarius asc gives her Venus in Taurus in the 5th, the ruler of her 10th. She was a nursery school teacher and after that her *job* was to produce heirs to the throne.
Then the sad story of her death. With Placidus house division, she has Pluto, mars, and Uranus in the 8th. Pluto was square her Mars at time of car crash, and Sun by transit conjunct Pluto.
Also, she was an archetype, and Diana mythologically seems more like a Sagittarius than a Libra. I also think she was a bit of a stalker, much as I liked her, and that seems a bit more Sagittarius than Libra.
So here’s an interesting thing … the Mens final was on July 8th !!
1961 Wimbledon Championships ran from 26th June to 8th July. As far back as I can remember (70s) the Men’s final is always on the last day albeit on a Sunday since 1982. They moved the Championships a week earlier in 2015 (e.g. starting June 20th-ish).
Well, that’s thrown the cat amongst the pigeons. It’s also the sort of misremembering that happens around a birth unless you have someone there with a stopwatch.
I would be very surprised if she did not have Neptune on the MC but rectification is not my thing.