Can we expect Royal Twins?

Since it was first announced by Clarence House that the Duchess of Cambridge was pregnant with her and Prince William’s second child, the speculation and guessing around details of her pregnancy and the future birth has continued unabated.

The question that is on most people’s lips right now is: “Will the next little Cambridge be a girl or a boy?”, whilst the question uppermost on most astrologers’ minds is most likely to be: “When will the little prince/princess be born?” and, “What will their natal horoscope look like?”

As a continuation of my first blog on this royal matter, I thought it might be a good time to look at trying to answer some of these two questions using the techniques of William Lilly, one of England’s most famous astrologers.

Lilly’s Take on the Astrology of Childbirth and Pregnancy

As I have said before, predicting birth dates using astrology is tricky, especially when we are not sure exactly when conception is likely to have occurred. However, since the original pregnancy announcement back in the autumn, we now know that Kate is due to give birth in the spring, somewhere around April 2015, which does help to narrow things down a little.

According to William Lilly, the well-known 17th century astrologer, one can glean more information by observing several horary techniques, which were commonly practised by medieval astrologers (who didn’t have sonograms and blood tests to work from, so had to work with what they had!) to determine more information on a pregnancy within a horary chart.

The horary chart I cast to try and answer this query is  simply based on the time and date I decided to pose the question to the heavens. 

A PDF file of the chart can be opened by clicking on the link below:

Royal Pregnancy Timing Chart.

The resulting chart is rather interesting symbolically for a number of reasons:

Firstly, we have the signs of Gemini-Sagittarius across the AS-DS axis. These two signs seem to come up a lot in conjunction with this particular royal couple. For example, if we think back to the lunar eclipse in Gemini on 21 December 2010 and the solar eclipse in Capricorn that followed it on 4 January, these were the nearest set of eclipses to take place prior to the Royal Wedding in 2011, which I interpreted in my eclipse chronology column at the time as being symbolic of Kate’s transition from commoner to princess, and the couple’s evolution from sweethearts to husband and wife. The announcement that Kate was pregnant with Prince George also came less than a week after the lunar eclipse in Gemini-Sagittarius on November the 28^th 2012, which I predicted would bring news concerning a royal pregnancy in my Eclipse Chronology for November 2012.

So, lunar eclipses in general, and the signs of Gemini-Sagittarius in particular, seem to be significant for this couple. No doubt the fact that Kate Middleton was born close to a lunar eclipse, and Prince William has Sagittarius rising (and Gemini on the cusp of the 7th house) may account for this to some degree. We still don’t know what sign Kate has rising – it could be Gemini or Sagittarius – but without any official announcements about her exact time of birth, her natal horoscope remains open to speculation.

Just as an aside, it is also perhaps worthy of our attention that both the signs of Gemini, Sagittarius and Pisces are considered to be ‘double-bodied’ signs, and as such, are often associated with twins…More on this later.

Secondly, in this horary chart, we have Jupiter in Leo close to the cusp of the IC in the 4th house of family, roots and heritage. After the Sun, which rules Leo, Jupiter is the next planet most associated with royalty, so this seems significant in terms of the royal family, the line of succession etc. Fertility astrologer, Nicola Smuts, has spoken of the importance of lucky Jupiter in increasing fertility[i] (Jupiter is, after all, exalted in Cancer, the sign par excellence, of mothers and motherhood), so having Jupiter located in the 4th house seems fittingly ‘radical’ for indicating a royal pregnancy.

Thirdly, the Moon happens to be in Pisces – the very same sign it was in for the horary chart I cast around the time this pregnancy was announced back in September. Interesting synchronicity. At the time of the announcement, however, the Moon was also conjunct Neptune. However, I do feel I need to mention that some astrologers associate a link to Neptune with miscarriage in pregnancy horaries.  It has been reported that Kate allegedly had a miscarriage prior to conceiving this baby, but nothing has ever been confirmed by palace officials. Whether this is true or not, the Duchess has suffered quite severely with acute morning sickness, which can lead to pregnancy complications.[ii]

Given that the Moon in this chart is separating from a conjunction to Chiron and Neptune, it seems likely to be a sign that Kate is now moving away from her earlier health problems and into a much less precarious state in terms of her pregnancy and any potential complications. As she is now past her first trimester, this seems a fitting interpretation of the situation.

Birth Date Prediction

So, what of the potential birth date?

Well, according to Lilly, one should look to the location and sign of the Lord of the fifth house, which rules births and babies,  for more information.  In this case, the 5th house cusp is in Virgo, which makes Mercury the significator we are most interested in. (Echoes of Gemini again!) In this chart, Mercury is in the 6th house, which on its own, suggests that the birth will occur in six around months’ time, that is, around May 2015. However, Mercury is in Sagittarius, a mutable sign, and according to Lily, ‘a Planet in a moveable Signe doth somewhat hasten the time,’ so it would seem we are looking for a due date of less than that.

How long has Kate been pregnant?

Lily goes on to add that you can get a more accurate picture of the length of pregnancy by looking at which of the Moon and the 5th house ruler are closer in terms of the degree of separation from their previous contact. In this case, it is Mercury, which is separating from a square to Neptune by 46 minutes of arc, as opposed to the Moon, which separated from a square to Venus  7.5 degrees ago.

He then says, ‘If the separation be from …a square, she is in the 4th month.’[iii] As it happens, spokesmen from Kensington Palace confirmed on the 20th of October that the Duchess was due to give birth sometime in April[iv], which would confirm the calculations arrived at via Lily’s method.

So, when exactly in April 2015 is it likely to be?

Will he or she arrive in time for Mom and Dad’s wedding anniversary on 29 April? Or in time for the Queen’s actual birthday on 21 April?  Neither can be ruled out. Of course, Prince George was quite late in arriving, so the same may be true of his new brother or sister, which adds a wildcard into the mix.

Given that the Moon is generally significant in births, and that we seem to keep having important royal events and announcement around eclipses, it is interesting that we do have a total lunar eclipse in Aries-Libra scheduled for April the 4th. Will the little prince or princess arrive that early? I guess we can’t rule it out at this point.

Another possibility to consider is when the Moon will be in Pisces, since the combination seems to keep cropping up in relation to this baby. Interestingly, the Moon transits through Pisces between the 15th and 16th of April – just before the New Moon in Aries on the 18th, which does seem to fit with Lilly’s prediction formula.

At this stage, though, one can only speculate so much. For now, I think it best to wait until closer to the time to see if any of these dates, or any others, seem more viable.

Let’s  move on to the next part of our query…What sex is this child likely to be?

Gender – Will Prince Charles’ wish for a girl be granted?

William Lilly claims that an astrologer can try and ascertain the sex of the child by looking for the following astrological signs:

Jupiter in the 7th, she is impregnated of a male childe: Sagittarius or Pisces in the 7th, she is with childe of a Girle; this must be understood when all the rest of the Significators are equall, and ballance not the judgment, then if you finde Sagittarius or Pisces in the 7th, you may judge the party shall have a Girle.

Zadkiel reports that Lilly advises you to weigh up the duality/sect of key planets relating to pregnancy (i.e. the rulers of the AS, 5th house and the Moon, as well as the signs on the cusp of the AS and 5th house) and see if the majority point to a male or a female. The sign of the Moon’s dispositor may also be considered.

In our chart, the ruler of both the 5th house cusp and the AS is Mercury, which by itself, is considered neutral. But it is in the sign of Sagittarius, which is diurnal/masculine by nature. The ruler/dispositor of the Moon in Pisces is either Jupiter, if you are a traditional/medieval astrologer, or Neptune, if you prefer modern rulerships. Jupiter is a diurnal planet, while Neptune is generally considered to be feminine in nature. As a water sign, Pisces is considered to be feminine/yin in nature, so this throws up a bit of a dilemma.

Jupiter is not in the 7th house, BUT we do have Sagittarius on the 7th house cusp, which according to Lilly, indicates a girl. However, Lilly tells us that we have to balance this indicator with the average we find when weighing up all the other indicators.

So, what are the overall scores?

• AS in Gemini = Masculine

• Ruler of 5th house cusp is Mercury (neutral) in Sagittarius = Masculine

• DS in Sagittarius = Feminine

• Sign on 5th cusp is Virgo = Feminine

• Ruler of Moon in Pisces is either Jupiter (masculine) or Neptune (feminine)

So, depending on which dispositor we opt for when considering the Moon, we have a pretty even score.  So, at this point, it is difficult to give a judgement. 

Going back to my earlier statement about Gemini and double-bodied signs, I can’t help wonder whether we have one of both sex, i.e. TWINS on our hands? There have been a few rumours swirling about that the Duchess may possibly be pregnant with twins[v],  so perhaps the next step might be to consider whether this could be the case.

Twins for Kate?

Ever since Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge became pregnant with Prince George, there has been speculation and rumours about HRH having twins. Now that she is pregnant for the second time, the rumour mill has once again gone into overdrive,  reaching fever pitch in early October when all bets were eventually suspended at bookmakers, William Hill, after a spate of wagers on Kate giving birth to twins raised suspicions about a possible information leak.[vi] Clarence House later released a statement which implied that there was, in fact, only one prince or princess on the way in a press statement on 20 October. But it was fairly vague, so could it simply be a ruse to knock everyone off the scent?[vii]

Let’s look at what the astrology says. If we have a pair of royal twins on the way, it might explain why we don’t get a clear answer on the sex of the child, and why the sign of Gemini seems to come up such a lot in relation to this pregnancy, as discussed in the section above.

William Lilly says the following about how to examine a horary chart for signs of a twin birth.

If suspicion be of twins, and you find, upon that question, the ascending sign be double-bodied, and a fortunate (benefic) therein, or the same of the 5^th house, and the Sun and Moon be in double-bodied signs, and the lords of the AS and 5^th be the same, you may judge twins. But unless all, or nearly these testimonies occur, it is not safe to judge.[viii]

According to Zadkiel, the double-bodied signs are: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.[ix]

Going back to our horary chart, let’s tot up the scores:

• AS in Gemini = double-bodied

• Ruler of 5th house cusp is Mercury (neutral) in Sagittarius = double-bodied

• Sign on 5th cusp is Virgo =   Double-bodied

• Sun in Sagittarius = double-bodied

• Moon in Pisces = double-bodied

That’s FIVE testimonies for twins! So far, so good. However, there is no sign of Venus or Jupiter being in either the first or the fifth house…Instead, Jupiter is found in the 4^th house (families & heritage), and Venus in the 6^th house (health) …But is this really so far off the mark? In my mind, the average really does seem to tip in favour of twins. Of course, in some pregnancies,  one of the twins dies, so it is possible that only one baby may survive.

Lilly also implies that one should cast a separate horary chart specifically designed to answer the question on twins, which we have not done here  – something we’ll have to leave for another time.

In the interim, though, I too, am betting on twins!

REFERENCES

[i] Sunday Times, ‘By Jupiter, planets may help women become pregnant’, Nov 2010, http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/National/article446759.ece

[ii] ‘Hyperemesis Gravidarum’, University of Maryland Medical Centre, http://umm.edu/health/medical/pregnancy/specialcare-pregnancies/hyperemesis-gravidarum

[iii] Lily’s Astrology [transl. Zadkiel, 1939], p. 151

[iv] BBC News, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29688969

[v] Daily Express, http://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/517031/Twins-Kate-Middleton-Royal-pregnancy-betting-suspended

[vi] Daily Mail, 1 Oct 2014, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2776084/Is-Kate-expecting-TWINS-Bookmakers-suspend-betting-receiving-200-wagers-two-hours-leading-suspicions-inside-information.html

[vii] Clarence House, Press Release, 20 Oct, http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/media/press-releases/the-duke-and-duchess-of-cambridge-are-expecting-baby-april

[viii]Lily’s Astrology [transl. Zadkiel, 1939], p. 150

[ix] Lily’s Astrology [transl. Zadkiel, 1939], p. 16

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