THE COUNTESS OF WESSEX: A MATTER OF INDISCRETION

Am I the only person to experience a serious case of deja vue with the furore over the Countess of Wessex, Sophe Rhys Jones? No matter how differently Sophe tried to deal with her misguided actions, she still ended up in the same place as Diana and Fergy before her – disgracing herself and embarrassing the Royal Family.

And since she owns a PR company, she of all people should know the way the newspaper world works. There is no way to quash a story that a tabloid wants to bring out. Even though the Countess of Wessex succeeded in obtaining a Court injunction preventing The News of the World from publishing a transcript of the tape in which she lambasted Tony and Cherie Blair and made catty remarks about Her Majesty, the Prince of Wales, the late Diana and Camilla Parker Bowles the newspaper did what it always does: leaked snippets of the tape to another tabloid then, legally entitled to comment on what was now in the public domain, did what it intended to do in the first place – spill the beans, sell millions of copies and take another major pot shot at the monarchy.

The newspaper is, of course, beyond the pale in setting up such a sting but Sophe should have known better. Surely she and her business partner should have vetted the sheikh before becoming on such familiar terms with him that indiscretions were tumbling out of her mouth as wantonly as the English rain. After all, she was dating Edward for six years and taken into the bosom of the Family and Buckingham Palace for at least one of those years so she had plenty of time to practice the art of Royal decorum.

So is there a tendency for foot and mouth disease in her chart? Is Edward gay? And are they really happy as a couple?

THE COUNTESS OF WESSEX: 20th January 1965, 11.32 am. London
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CAPRICORN- AQUARIUS, signs of consideration

A Mercury-Venus conjunction in the circumspect, far-sighted and strategy-conscious sign of Capricorn is the epitome of the stiff-upper-lip. And with a sextile to Saturn to boot it seems almost inconceivable that she should have made so many outspoken and disparaging comments. And to a stranger. Sun in Aquarius is also pretty street-wise and cool-as-a-cucumber. So what could be responsible for such ill-conceived actions?

JUPITER-RISING, NEPTUNE SETTING

Jupiter rising individuals, like Sophe, tend to have jumbo-sized egos – they want to be stars. And this position for Jupiter does lead to immoderate actions and delusions of grandeur. In Sophe’s case, Jupiter is opposed to fantasy-merchant, Neptune, so it is easy to see how she could misinterpret signals and become carried away with her performance.

Her statements about being hailed as Diana Mark 2 also bear no relation to reality and are a product of Jupiterian aggrandisement on her part and an inability to recognize when she’s being lied to (Neptune).

To be fair to the Countess, this aspect will also make her ultra-compassionate and kind-hearted – and she’s clearly in her element with a career in two fantasy businesses, PR and the Royal Family. This aspect also says a lot about her choice of husband and the nature of her marriage – more of which later.

MOON-URANUS – emotional instability

There is also a certain recklessness about Sophe’s Moon-Uranus conjunction. Even though this is to be found in the down-to-earth, ultra-rational sign of Virgo and trining the Venus, Mercury conjunction in Capricorn there is no getting away from the overall capriciousness and instability of this astrological coupling.

This factor, combined with the Jupiter-Neptune influence, certainly supplies an astrological reason for her misguided revelations. (And, just for the record, Jupiter and Neptune also connect to Moon and Uranus, thereby producing an unusual Kite configuration)

SHADES OF DIANA

The only resemblance Sophe has to Diana is her Moon-Uranus connection. Diana also had a powerful Moon-Uranus configuration and we all know how emotionally unstable Diana was.

THE REAL SOPHE

Thus, we can see that the Countess of Wessex is very different from the image we initially had of her. She is far from being the sensible girl who will fit submissively into her role as Prince Edward’s consort. She wants to star in her own show and is as capable of becoming as hooked on her own publicity as Diana and Sarah before her.

I am also curious as to how she will work through her complex Moon arrangement. (The moon is representative of the emotions and describes our relationship with our mother, our experience of childhood and our ability to mother.) The moon is not only conjunct volatile Uranus but also Pluto so she is presenting some indications of serious emotional problems.  These are not insuperable and, indeed, some astrologers would argue that the trine to Mercury and Venus relieves the difficulty of Moon-Uranus. This may be true but moon-Uranus and moon-Pluto hard aspects (like the conjunction, square and opposition) still pack a powerful punch. And it is my judgement that Sophe has some real issues to deal with as regards her emotional and sexual nature and I suspect her relationship with her mother has been far from easy.

My guess is, however, that she’ll control her emotions to the point of denying any conflict or unpleasant feelings. She probably operates through her charming and rational Capricorn Mercury and Venus. And with Jupiter rising she’ll put a positive spin on any negative situation and a bright and confident exterior in the face of any painful experience. She is most likely to bury her frustrations and disappointments and pour her energies into her career, good works and her life interests. Indeed, she has the capacity to suppress her sexual needs and simply not allow herself to get into her unhappiness. But it is not a situation that can go on ad infinitum. At some point an event, or series of events, will precipitate a crisis. And maybe we should look to Uranus’ opposition to the natal moon-Uranus conjunction in 2005 to provoke that crisis.

A MARRIAGE MADE IN HEAVEN?

I had my doubts that Sophe and Edward would marry. The relationship had gone on for so long without any sign of mutating into anything other than a jolly good friendship but eventually Edward made up his mind and to all intents and purposes they seemed utterly happy about marrying each other.

Nevertheless, this has not stopped persistent rumours about Edward’s homosexuality. As his less than flattering but affectionate epithet - Dockyard Doris – stands testament to.

PRINCE EDWARD: 10th MARCH 1964, 8.15pm, LONDON
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Prince Edward was born with the sun, Mercury and Mars in the sensitive, artistic and escapist sign of Pisces. He has gracious Libra rising and a moon in emotionally cool Aquarius.

The Pisces/Libra strengths in his chart are tailor-made for a career in the arts and I am sure that those who know and work with Edward find him an exceptionally charming, easy-going, kind and considerate person.  If a little weak and indecisive.

ASTROLOGY AND HOMOSEXUALITY

As far as I know, no one has come up with any reliable research that points to evidence of homosexuality in a chart. Why? Because homosexuality is not a manifestation of a morally corrupt individual. Being attracted to your own sex as opposed to the opposite sex is largely a matter of hormones and genes. Yes, an over-protective mother, a cruel father and an inability to get beyond early sexual experimentation with members of the same sex have been shown to play a part but there is no one astrological factor – a retrograde Venus for instance, which I have heard bandied about – that is responsible.

FATHER TROUBLE

What we do know about Edward is that he does have a father who is the antithesis of Mr warm and cuddly. (Prince Philip is very much a man’s man and believes hardship and intense physical exercise mould the spirit and character of the man – hence sending all the boys to school at Gordonstone in the wilds of Scotland, famous for just such Spartan principles.)

With Edward’s sun, Mercury and Mars all in opposition to Pluto, it would only take a first year astrological student to surmise that the relationship between Edward and his father was difficult in the extreme and that this sensitive little Piscean boy ran the risk of being constantly crushed by Philip.

Clearly, in an attempt to please and placate his father Edward joined the Marines but it proved to be a disaster. Edward could not take the pressures and left amid a thundercloud of speculation and his father’s outrage.

MOTHER LOVE

As to an over-protective mother, does the Queen fit that bill? Edward’s Venus at 3 degrees of Taurus is precisely conjunct the Queen’s sun and since she also has the moon in Aquarius, the evidence is that the two of them have a close and mutually appreciative relationship.

The Queen is not, however, known for her touchy-feely qualities and even though she may love all her sons she has never been described as over-protective. Rather she is an object of admiration – someone all the boys see as Her Majesty first and ‘mum’ second – a woman who’s life is a hymn to duty and obligation.

Edward’s moon is not particularly well aspected – just a weak trine to the Ascendant and it is in the same sign as Saturn. So, I would say Edward is not an emotionally driven individual, nor someone capable of giving passionate declarations. But the Mars-Pluto opposition does indicate a high level of sexual energy, whether this is expressed heterosexually or homosexuality.

EASILY LED

Perhaps Edward’s first sexual experiences were indeed with other boys. But it is also clear that he has sexual relations with women, not least his wife. As a Piscean Fish, Edward may simply love swimming in any direction the current takes him…

MADE FOR EACH OTHER

Sophe and Edward are a great match.

1)      Her sun in Aquarius connects with his moon in Aquarius – a classic indication of compatibility.

2)      He has Venus in Taurus; she has Taurus rising.

3)      He has Jupiter setting; she has Jupiter rising.

4)      Her Moon-Uranus-Pluto combination is in opposition to his Mars, Sun, Mercury combo.

5)      His MC/IC axis is her MC/IC axis

6)      Neptune on the cusp of her 7^th house of relationships says: I’m looking for Mr Pisces

7)      Venus in Taurus in his 7^th house of relationships says: I need a Taurean quality in a wife.

I must add that with Jupiter in Aries also on the cusp of the 7^th house of relationships, Edward is also seeking a fiery, Arian type of women, which Sophe patently is not, but the other aforementioned factors make this a mutual admiration society.

A MARRIAGE OF RESPECT AND CONVENIENCE

I am also tempted to make a guess that Edward and Sophe have married for love and friendship. But sex is probably not the be all and end all of their relationship. She came to an eminently sensible decision that marriage to Edward is a good thing. She loves him and she likes being in the Royal Family. And she likes what being royal has done for her business. Edward, on the other hand, loves Sophe, likes her and trusts her. He can get on with his life, knowing he is safe and secure. 

Sophe, with her complex moon-Uranus-Pluto set-up is entirely capable of suppressing her sexual and emotional needs. I doubt she makes any demands on Edward and as long as the rest of life is good, there will be no trouble in this marital paradise.

But…

What will happen when rumours turn into nasty newspaper stories and Edward turns out to have been playing away? I guess we’ll find out during that Uranian transit in a couple of years time.

LAST WORD

THE COMPOSITE CHART

Composite Sophe Rhys Jones & Price Edward Chart
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Putting the two charts together and creating a third is known in the trade as a composite. (I favour the mid-point of each person’s planets and angles, but there are other types of composite.)

Two factors fascinate me about this relationship chart.

1)      The sun-Venus-Saturn conjunction in the 8^th house of sexual exchange.

2)      The moon-Neptune conjunction on the IC

On the plus side the Venus-Saturn-sun combo adds glue to the relationship and may well help it survive all sorts of upheavals. Yet in the primary sexual zone it also suggests that there will be difficulties in their physical relationship, which may lead to no sex at all.

As for the moon-Neptune conjunction. On its own this leads to emotional confusion – neither party really connecting emotionally with the other. But since this conjunction is on the IC it becomes even more of a troublesome factor. The roots of the relationship are in Neptunian waters – fine if the two of them want to live like nomads, packing up their tent and moving on when and to where they choose. It would also be fine if the two of them wanted to turn their home into a spiritual or artistic retreat, even annexe it to a hospice – these are all Neptunian impulses of the highest order. But if they are expected to fit the royal mode, set up house together, produce children and carry out royal duties, it won’t work.

As it is there are persistent rumours that the two do not live together all of the time.

If the media leave this couple alone, I believe they will stay together and manage a successful marriage. But, given, the first volley of shots has already been fired I suspect within the next two to three years this marriage will be rumoured to be on the rocks.

NEXT WEEK’S ASTROLOGY

The major event of next week is Saturn’s move into the sign of Gemini – 20^th April 23 00 hrs. CST. Since this is an interesting change I will look at it in greater detail in my next COSMIC UPDATE.

Also on the same day, the sun moves into Taurus – 1.37 am CST  and Venus moves direct.