Lady Louise Windsor, daughter of Prince Edward and the Duchess of Edinburgh,  has graduated with a degree in English Literature and International Relations from St Andrews University and intends to take a gap year before settling into a career.

 She was born 8 November 2003 11.32pm Frimley, Surrey by caesarean and because of significant blood loss was transferred to another hospital, being reunited with her mother five days later. She had an eye condition in childhood which was corrected.

 She has a 4^th house Scorpio Sun opposition a Taurus Moon North Node in her 10^th house square Neptune in her 6^th house of service and health. A helping career is likely to be her priority since she will be focused on achievements rather than settling down to a quiet domestic existence. With Uranus in her 7^th she will need an unconventional though home, family and roots will be important to her.

 An extremely complicated and talented individual she has a creative, healing and self-protective Water Grand Trine of her Scorpio Sun trine Saturn in Cancer trine Mars in Pisces, formed into two Kites with her Sun opposition Moon and her Mars in a high-vitality opposition to Jupiter in hard working Virgo. Being born at the time of the Full Moon she will see her parents as being two entirely different kinds of personalities. The effect of this can be to give her difficulties in getting together what her heart wants and what duty demands.

  There would be tensions and undercurrents in the family home given her Pluto in the 4^th, making her defensive and fairly controlled emotionally. Her Pluto in Sagittarius is heavily aspected being on the focal point of a T square to Mars opposition Jupiter and also on the apex of a yod inconjunct Saturn sextile Moon. Neither of these will be easy to handle, making her highly strung and easily over stressed, but handled well could make her a radical thinker and activist, though ahead of her time and running into resistance because her ideas will be new.

 Her mother has her Jupiter  conjunct Louise’s Midheaven for a supportive relationship where work and appearances are concerned. Her father is a deeper connection with his Sun on the cusp of her 8^th hinting at the intergenerational legacy he brings to bear.

 Their relationship charts: show a good deal of enthusiasm with her mother, though also an awareness of their special position and the restrictions it brings. Her father brings joint status though a sense with a Uranian yod of a need to tread an independent path.  

Swatting aside Mercury retrograde as less important than drowning out the USA’s the 250th anniversary celebrations, Taylor Swift may or may not take the initial plunge into marriage to Travis Kelce at 5.30pm today in New York. Though caveats abound with a maybe private ceremony out of sight earlier (which would be the marriage chart). Time will tell. Whatever – New York is awash with police, security as Madison Square Garden prepares for a deluge of showbiz VIP guests.

Marina Hyde in the Guardian has her usual wittily acerbic view on the gargantuan event. ‘During her unprecedented, record-breaking Eras tour a couple of years ago, Taylor moved beyond the status of mere pop star and began to be perceived as a travelling mercantile city-state. It seems entirely appropriate to read reports that her and Travis’s wedding organisers have built a castle within Madison Square Garden (venue for at least part of the marital celebrations).’

  If indeed 5.30pm today is lift off then it has the super-confident Pluto opposition Jupiter sextile/trine Neptune and the explosive Mars Uranus conjunction in Gemini (conjunct the tragic but survivalist Sedna). The Sun is also square Saturn for a work-comes-first union. The 3^rd house Moon is in a superficially charming and frivolous opposition to Venus in Leo and inconjunct Mercury – designed for show and trivial gossip.

 Wedding charts usually echo the themes of the relationship chart though not so in this case.

 Taylor Swift, 13 December 1989 8.36 am Reading, PA.

Travis Kelce, 5 October 1989 5.49 am Cleveland, Ohio. Her birth time is maybe questionable; his is birth chart but it makes no difference to the essential nature of their relationship chart.

 It has a tightly bound, possessive composite Sun Pluto Mercury conjunction which is trine a lucky Jupiter. Jupiter is further emphasised being in a high-vitality trine to Mars, as well as opposition Uranus Neptune Saturn. Venus is conjunct Uranus which demands freedom in contrast to the Sun Pluto.

 The composite Moon does square Venus which slightly echoes the ‘wedding’ chart.

 It certainly is a high-octane relationship which it would have to be to withstand the pressures of her level of fame and money. Both are the triple conjunction in Capricorn generation so quite highly strung.

 His Sun/Moon midpoint, his marriage significator, is conjunct his Pluto, which makes sense of a high-voltage, powerfully possessive relationship. His Venus is also in Scorpio giving an added depth to his passions and yearnings.

 He is a Sun Libra Moon Sagittarius; while she is a Sun Sagittarius with a Cancer Moon – which has good compatibility.

 He has a successful Jupiter in his 10^th and her Jupiter Moon also fall in his 10^th so he was always destined to be drawn to a high profile partner. An athlete’s dynamic Sun Mars conjunction in Libra in his 1^st squares his Jupiter opposition Neptune, Saturn (Uranus), so he is spilling over with restlessness and initiative.

 His triple conjunction in Capricorn falls in his 4^th so he grew up with an unsettled home life. Her triple conjunction also falls in his 4^th so cosying down with popcorn on the domestic sofa will not be what either is suited to.

 His Jupiter falls in her 7^th which is great for relationships; with her Mars in Scorpio conjunct his Venus for an intense physical attraction.

  Towards the end of the decade could be problematic with tr Pluto square his Sun/Moon midpoint and both their triple conjunctions in Capricorn having to negotiate swampy tr Neptune in square.

 But it is not a relationship that would split easily.

[The wedding chart may be amended as more details emerge. Cosmopolitan is hinting about a small, private Tennessee wedding some days ago.]

Lebron James, deemed one of the greatest basketball players of all time and one of the greatest athletes in modern history, is to leave Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons to continue his career with another team.

 Golden State Warriors of San Francisco has been mentioned as a possibility which would certainly suit since it puts his Jupiter exactly on the midheaven there.

 He was born December 30, 1984 4.04pm Akron, Ohio with an absent criminal father and a single mother who placed him for stability with a local football coach and his family, who introduced him to basketball.  

 He has a 7^th house Sun conjunct Neptune in Capricorn with his Sun square an Aries Moon on the cusp of his 11^th so he will have looked to friends and team-mates for emotional support as well as a close partner. He has an ambitious Mars in Pisces close to his Midheaven in a determined trine to Pluto in his 5^th house of sport. Mars in Pisces is often found in dancers’ charts since it gives fluidity of movement.

 He also has Saturn in conscientious Scorpio in his 5^th, which may at the end of his playing career prove useful if he decides to move into the organisational and management side of the game.

 Jupiter in his 8^th in Capricorn will give him a lucky streak and an aptitude for attracting money; and squaring his Moon will mellow the emotional downside of his disjointed childhood. His Moon is also trine an experimental Mercury Uranus in Sagittarius in his 6^th of health. According to his business partner he was in the habit of spending $1.5 million per year on his body, paying for personal chefs and trainers as well as recovery therapies such as cryotherapy and hyperbaric chambers.

 He is married with two sons, one of whom plays for the Lakers.

 Tr Uranus this year is squaring his Midheaven and exactly now his Mars, so a dramatic change of direction accompanied by some insecurity and trepidation was to be expected. The late August Lunar Eclipse approaching falls exactly on his 10^th house Mars.

His Solar Arc Mars conjunct his Moon may reflect public surprise and disquiet about his move. His Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct his Mars in 2027 indicates a surge of dynamic vitality and success. Though it won’t be without its problems with a frustratingly stuck Sun/Mars midpoint afflicted by Pluto in 2027/28 as well.  2029 also looks like a downer.

  I would think from his chart he has been edgy in the recent past, so this may have been coming for a while.

  A lively, not to say erratic and edgy start to the month comes courtesy of Mars in argumentative Gemini colliding with sparky Uranus and across from determined Pluto on the 4^th and 5^th. A day later it will all fizzle out as Saturn brings realism and restrictions to bear.

 The Cancer Sun for three weeks would prefer peace to conflict, and happy-home times rather than too much racing around. And while the month will not offer much rest and relax opportunities, there should be better times coming around mid month and just after.

  Andre Barbault, the French astrologer’s much vaunted Bread Basket with Jupiter opposition Pluto tied into Uranus and Neptune runs between the 17^th and 20^th. While I am leery of getting overly optimistic in these troubled times, it could bring unexpected, significant and lucky changes.

 The final ten days sees the Leo Sun enter with a flourish, content to know that the enthusiasm and good fortune of Jupiter will be giving the sunny, entertaining energy a boost. Pluto may put a minor damper on the show but overall it should be upbeat.

PLANETARY ASPECTS:

4: Mars conjunct Uranus in Gemini  – self-willed, overly impulsive, uncompromising, can be accident-prone.

5: Mars sextile Neptune in Aries – publicity attracting, creative.

Mars trine Pluto – dominating, determined, stuck.

6: Sun in Cancer square Saturn in Aries – delays, difficulties, negative thinking, hard work needed.

7: Neptune retrograde till mid December – subtle effect, creative projects need a rethink.

9: Venus into Virgo till August 6^th – pleasure from being helpful and working hard.

13: Sun conjunct Mercury – chatty, in mental overdrive

Venus square Uranus – emotional upsets or surprises, wanting romantic freedom.

14: New Moon in Cancer

18: Uranus in Gemini trine Pluto in Aquarius  – deep insight, changes, move away from the past.

2): Jupiter in Leo trine Neptune – kind, sympathetic, hopeful.

Jupiter opposition Pluto – confident, over-confident, clashes with authority, a mood that rules don’t apply to certain individual’s actions.

22: Sun into Leo for four weeks – sociable, entertaining, attention seeking

23: Mercury direct in Cancer – communication hitches and glitches of past three weeks disappear.

25: Neptune sextile Pluto – otherworldly, supernatural, ambitious.

26: Saturn retrograde in Aries until nearly mid December – practical projects may need to go back to the drawing board for a rethink.

27: Sun opposition Pluto – requires persistence to overcome obstacles, stuck.

 Sun trine Neptune – kind, creative, vague

Sun sextile Uranus – bright ideas, positive small changes.

29: Venus square Mars – passionately enthusiastic, impulsive, not tactful.

Full Moon in Aquarius

OUTER PLANETS

Jupiter in Leo until from July 1 2026 to July 2027 – socially outgoing, confident, brave and boastful.

Saturn: Saturn in Aries from May 25th 2025 for the first time in 29 years. There will be a need for grit, self-reliance, initiative, patience and resourcefulness. It can lead to selfish behaviour on the part of some and a lack of cooperation since the tendency will be to pursue an independent course. Though Neptune close by may soften its effect bringing more sympathy for those in need.

Uranus: From April 26^th 2026 into Gemini staying until 2032. Inventive, multi-tasking, technological advances.

Neptune in Aries from late April 2025 till 2039 (with a brief retrograde back into Pisces from late October to late January 2026) can prompt individuals to submit themselves to a bigger cause than themselves. In the past it has led to an increase in individual rights and advances for disenfranchised people.  When back in Pisces it reprises the mood of the past decade plus with conspiracy theories running rampant.

Pluto in Aquarius from late November 2024 till 2044. Can be enlightening, fosters social movements and equality, changes outlooks and attitudes, brings intense discussions and scientific advances.

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 Richard Nixon’s resignation over the Watergate scandal in August 1974 was a seismic event for the USA.

 At that point tr Pluto at 4 degrees Libra had been hovering around the square to the USA Jupiter – amplifying the theme of the-rules-don’t-apply-to-me and clashes with authority. Tr Neptune was opposition the US Uranus for high-anxiety and trine the US North Node for a dent to national vanity. More significantly tr Uranus was in square to the US Pluto opposition Mercury for an almighty upheaval. Tr Saturn was in a discouraging conjunction to the US Sun exactly.

  I was wondering about any similarities to the present given VP Vance’s bizarre comment that today Watergate would be a 12 hour scandal. As several commentators point out what is happening now is much worse. — Trump’s trading of regulatory favours for gifts viz Paramount and Bezos’ Melania documentary, currying favour for his space venture.  ‘Trump operates an apparent market in presidential pardons.’ People who donate to him have been forgiven for crimes of embezzlement, money laundering and funnelling money to sanctioned regimes, including Iran. Hundreds were forgiven for storming Capitol Hill to overthrow an election. ‘Trump does not even bother to conceal. He makes no pretence of abiding by the US constitution’s emoluments clause.’

  At present the Solar Arc Pluto is square the USA Jupiter which makes for overly-confident and lawless actions as above. Tr Saturn is this year square the US Sun. In 2027 tr Neptune in early Aries will be squaring the USA Jupiter for a bubble-bursting effect on national confidence and finances. Tr Neptune will then trine the USA Uranus by 2028 for a highly strung mood. The Solar Arc South Node is conjunct the USA Saturn in Libra undermining a fair minded approach to rules and regulations at the moment.

  There is additionally the continuation of the high-crisis, game-changing Solar Arc USA Sun square Saturn colliding with the USA Mars square Neptune which has another year to run, having picked up two years ago.

 Some similarities. But not the major upheaval of the Uranus transit upending Pluto.

  What will be significant will be tr Pluto opposition the US ‘leadership’ Leo North Node in 2027/28.

9/11 occurred when tr Neptune was opposition the Node severely denting the nation’s pride. Nothing like that is likely to recur but it will be an event or series of events, maybe a culmination of the past two years, which brings a reckoning with the country’s identity.

ADD ON: From AndyB.

Tr. Saturn in a hard aspect to the US Sun around the time of Watergate suggested a politically debilitated executive. This summer tr. Saturn in Aries is squaring the US Sun, which historically has had a similar effect on the presidency. Last time it was in this position was during the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Before that, LBJ was mired in the Vietnam War. Then before that was FDR’s court packing scheme and its fall-out, which signaled a slow-down in New Deal laws passed. Also important this year is the US Uranus return, which has historically led to epochal shifts in our history. The Civil War and WW2 were found under it. It should be a year of big changes.

  The squeamish should skip this one and I almost wish I had not bothered to research.

Shabir Ahmed, a Pakistani immigrant, convicted of 30 unthinkable child rape offences against children as young as 12 as part of a Rochdale grooming gang, is due to be released from jail next week. He cannot be thrown out of Britain because of an anomaly under the Immigration Act 1971 despite having been stripped of his British citizenship in 2016.

At his trial he was described as an ‘unpleasant and hypocritical bully’. The Judge said the gang treated their victims “as though they were worthless and beyond any respect”. He was banned from the courtroom in Liverpool for his sentencing hearing because of his threatening behaviour and for calling the judge a “racist bastard”.

 The inability to deport him means the Ministry of Justice and probation service will have to spend thousands of pounds imposing exclusion zones banning him from Rochdale, curfews and tagging restrictions on him to protect the public.

His date of birth according to company records is 23 January 1953, which is believe or not, three days after Jeffrey Epstein. He has the same can-be-promiscuous Mars Venus conjunction in Pisces exaggerated by being on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Pluto sextile Neptune. Ahmed has an even more ‘indulgent’ Taurus Moon than Epstein’s Aries Moon. Though both have can-be-covetous and hedonistic Jupiter in Taurus.

Ahmed has a strongly aspected 18th harmonic often found with serial killers – which fits given the lives he ruined.

 The Foreign Secretary is trying to find a way of altering the law and he looks seriously rattled from this August onwards.

  If it had been France they would have tossed him out, law or no law. The Brits are far too timid when faced with this kind of situation.

Serena Williams, the greatest female tennis player of all time, winner of 23 majors, is back to play singles and doubles at Wimbledon.  She reportedly disliked her Wimbledon exit four years ago and misses tennis ‘every day’ she has said.

  Born 26 September 1981 8.28 pm Saginaw, MI, she has a hard-working Sun conjunct Saturn in Libra in her 6^th house with super-confident Jupiter Pluto Mercury also in Libra in her 6^th. Her Virgo Moon is on the cusp of her 6^th  and her high-vitality Mars in Leo is in her sporting 5^th house.

She has Uranus and Venus in Scorpio in her 7^th house of partnerships so an unconventional marriage would be a must if it was to work.

  She is in a curious phase of her life – astrologically speaking – with her Solar Arc Uranus exactly square her Saturn, this year which will be high-tension, edgy and erratic. Plus tr Neptune opposition her Sun through this year, returning exactly mid August to late September, and on and off till January 2028, which can be confused, indecisive and low energy. Tr Saturn Neptune in late Pisces over last winter were opposition her Sun/Moon midpoint hinting at an internal shift making her less than satisfied with her life as wife and mother. Tr Uranus is also square her Solar Arc Midheaven through this year which certainly hints at a change in her life’s direction but not necessarily one that brings success.

 Tr Jupiter won’t move into her sporting, confidence-building and sociable 5^th until this September when it is conjunct her Mars. By 2027/28 her Solar Arc Saturn will conjunct her Uranus for another high tension jolt. With a setback in 2029/30 as her SA Mars is conjunct her Sun.

  Her midpoints at the moment show luck and a high for a few days, plus anxiety – and exuberance after the 19^th so no matter the result she may be pleased she made the effort.

 Emma Radacanu, 13 November 2002, Toronto, Canada, out because of a stress fracture, has had a disjointed tennis career since an early win with multiple coach changes and injuries.

She is a determined Sun Mercury in Scorpio square Uranus in Aquarius and square Jupiter in Leo. She will be quite ego-driven and a risk-taker, as well as stubborn and at times contrary. Jupiter is also opposing her Neptune will make her overly-optimistic. Her Uranus is in an Air Grand Trine to Mars in Libra and trine Saturn in Gemini so she will tend to live in her head and with no Earth planets she may well not be grounded in her body in a helpful way. She has a confident Pluto trine her Jupiter and sextile her Uranus, maybe square a Pisces Moon.

 Houses may make a difference – since Serena Williams is also short of Earth but has a jam-packed 6^th which is an earth house and a Virgo Moon.

Emma is heading into a defining moment in her career in later 2027 when her Solar Arc Sun is conjunct her Pluto for a seriously stuck phase of several months; followed by a confused and undermining tr Pluto conjunct her Neptune in 2028/29. At the moment she also has a moving yod of Solar Arc Uranus inconjunct her natal Jupiter sextile Mars which will be in place for two years ahead and in orb longer than that. Such yods tend to bring times of paralysis and indecision.

Ben Stokes, one of the world’s greatest cricketers, made a stunning retirement announcement on the fourth day of the deciding England Test at Trent Bridge. His shock exit appeared to have been triggered by burnout and an increasingly strained relationship with the England Cricket Board. Plus perhaps a serious facial injury he suffered in March after being hit by a ball in the Durham nets which had more of an effect than he has admitted publicly.

“It might sound quite selfish but this decision is genuinely the best thing for me right now,” Stokes said. He said he had been considering ending his career since England’s Ashes defeat in Australia in December 2025.

 Born 4 June 1991 Christchurch, New Zealand, he is a Sun Gemini inconjunct Neptune Uranus sextile Pluto; and trine/sextile Saturn in Aquarius opposition Mars Jupiter in Leo. Unravelling that – a yod focal point Sun will have problems with too little self-worth and then too much, so he will wobble from one to the other. Uranus Neptune conjunct is highly strung. Saturn opposition Mars can be edgy, short-tempered and resentful, weighed down by problems; Saturn opposition Jupiter will be up and down in mood.

He has been open about the mental health issues he has faced with anxiety and panic attacks through his career.

  At the moment his Solar Arc Sun is exactly opposition his Neptune for a lacklustre, undermining year. Alongside that tr Pluto opposition his Mars in Leo would bring feelings of being stuck, frustrated and blocked in. With tr Pluto in hard aspect to his Mars/Saturn midpoint probably over his March accident, bringing a significant setback. Tr Pluto will continue on to conjunct his Saturn in 2027/28 so retirement initially will be hard going. Though gradually tr Pluto opposing first his Mars/Jupiter midpoint and then his Jupiter in 2029/30 should bounce him up again.

Mel Brooks, actor, filmmaker, comedian, songwriter and playwright, has reached 100 with a lifespan as long as his talents. Winner of an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, he can look back on a seven decade career with many highs including Blazing Saddles, The Producers, Young Frankenstein and the Elephant Man – and a few lows.

 He was born 28 June 1926, a month after Marilyn Monroe, three months after Queen Elizabeth 11 and four months after David Attenborough – so it was a notable year.

  When asked the secret to a long life years ago, he replied: “Don’t die.”

Farces, parodies and black humour were his metier.

 He was born on the kitchen table of a tenement in Brooklyn, the son of European Jewish immigrants, and brought up by his mother after his father died when he was two years old. He was a small, sickly child and the youngest of four brothers. Despite which he fought in World War 11 in 1944 on the Western Front, which allowed him to make outrageous jokes ever after about the Nazis. After a brief first marriage which produced three children, he met and wedded actress Anne Bancroft, staying together for 41 years until her death in 2005.

 He has a Sun Pluto conjunction in Cancer square Mars in Aries, so a force to be reckoned with. He turned a good deal of anger and frustration into biting wit and made a joke of what he could not change. His Jupiter square his Mars/Pluto midpoint would help to mellow the bleakness of the Mars Pluto.

He also had the powerful collection of Fixed signs of that year with Neptune in Leo opposition Jupiter in Aquarius square Venus in Taurus opposition Saturn in Scorpio. An unbudgeable personality and not always comfortable within himself though he made lifelong friends and was universally liked.

  His Moon was in Aquarius which generally lends a mischievous air to proceedings.  

 His four decade marriage to Anne Bancroft, 17 September 1931, matched her Sun Venus in Virgo to his Venus in Taurus and her Sagittarius Moon to his Aquarius Moon. Her stellium in Virgo and a Mutable Moon would make her flexible and able to cope with his strong Fixed temperament. But it would not all have been easy. The relationship chart had an intense fanatical composite Mars opposition Pluto, softened to a degree by good Jupiter aspects and a ‘fated’ yod which would make it feel meant – and indeed it would have a profound effect on both. She battled depression and an alcohol problem during her life.

 A reviewer wrote: “He is the son of immigrants who fought the Nazis and ultimately triumphed in every area of showbusiness. He is the American dream made flesh.”

Mel Brooks quotes:

“If God wanted us to fly, He would have given us tickets.”

“Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die.”

“Rhetoric does not get you anywhere, because Hitler and Mussolini are just as good at rhetoric. But if you can bring these people down with comedy, they stand no chance.”

“If Shaw and Einstein couldn’t beat death, what chance have I got? Practically none.”

“Humor is just another defense against the universe.”

“Bad taste is simply saying the truth before it should be said.”

“He who hesitates is poor.”

“I don’t believe in this business of being behind, better to be in front.”