The Duchess of Kent, a radiantly beautiful, gentle and unassuming member of the Royal Family has died aged 92.

Married to the Duke of Kent she came from a wealthy landowning family which raised a few eyebrows about her lack of Royal blood and went on to have three children. She had a fourth pregnancy aborted after a bad bout of measles and a fifth miscarried sending her into a deep depression. She was a welcome fixture for many years at Wimbledon and had strong associations with the world of music. In her later years, after she stepped down from Royal duties she became a music teacher at a primary school and founded the charity Future Talent to nurture young musical talent in low-income families. She also converted to Roman Catholicism.

 Born 22 February 1933 in York, England, she was a Sun Pisces conjunct North Node opposition Neptune in Virgo; with Mercury also in Pisces opposition Neptune, Mars Jupiter in Virgo. 1933 was a year which produced several notable creative types.  She also had a cool, emotionally-damped down Saturn in Aquarius conjunct Venus and possibly her Aquarius Moon; with her Pluto in a confident sextile to Jupiter and a freedom-loving square to Uranus.

  The Duke of Kent, 9 October 1935 2.05 am London, was cousin to Queen Elizabeth 11. His father, a brother of King George VI, was bisexual and had an affair with Noel Coward. He contracted a marriage to Princess Marina of Greece, and died in a plane crash over Scotland enroute to Iceland on 25 August 1942 during his active WWII service.

  Katherine, Duchess of Kent, was the first commoner to marry into the Royal Family for more than a century which became a matter of contention for her ‘impossibly imperious, improbably grand’ mother-in-law, who subjected her daughter-in-law to ‘remorseless scrutiny’ over her abilities, according to a biographer.  

  Princess Marina, 13 December 1906 Athens, like her son had Saturn in Pisces which would damp the young Duchess’s confidence. Worse she had a ruthless Pluto trine Mars – and a Scorpio Moon, The young Duchess’s chart had Saturn inconjunct Neptune which was pulled into a yod by the Jupiter Neptune in Cancer of Marina’s chart – fated to be tied together for good or ill. And with their relationship chart having a toxic, hostile, dominating composite Pluto opposition Venus square Mars it would be an exceptionally loaded relationship. The mother-in-law from hell.

  The marriage itself by all accounts itself was not always easy though his Venus Neptune in Virgo and Libra Sun all in her 4^th would help – and it mellowed in their latter years. Their relationship chart had a tough composite yod of Sun sextile Saturn inconjunct Sun, fated to be together but hardly warm and spontaneous, all duty and less fun; with a passionate Pluto trine Venus; but also an explosive Mars Jupiter opposition Uranus square Pluto; and composite Venus square Saturn and inconjunct Uranus – all of which adds up to a relationship weighted down by too much control, creating an undercurrent of significant turmoil and unhappiness.

Lovely lady, difficult life.

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Rayner resigns. David Lammy in as deputy prime minister and  justice secretary. Yvette Cooper is the new foreign secretary and Shabana Mahmood becomes home secretary, while Rachel Reeves stays as chancellor.

 This is a speed read.

Lammy, 19 July 1972, London, is a late Sun Cancer with a Scorpio Moon and a flashy and outspoken Mercury Mars in Leo.

 His Pluto in final degree Virgo is catching this month’s Solar Eclipse hinting perhaps at a more powerful position but given that tr Neptune Saturn will oppose his Pluto over the winter it hints at discouraging times ahead. His Jupiter at zero degrees Capricorn is also being undermined by tr Neptune Saturn in square now and into 2026. The next few months do look mired in confusion with greater frustrations in 2026/27.

    His relationship with Starmer equally looks stressed and discontented into and worsening throughout 2026 as they run into considerable setbacks.

 Shabana Mahmood, 17 September 1980,  is a Sun Jupiter Saturn in Virgo square Neptune; and a determined Mars in Scorpio and Uranus in Scorpio square North Node in Leo and Venus.

  The Home Office is a thankless job and no surprises she is running into sinkholes and setbacks in 2026 and worse in 2027. Her Saturn in final degree Virgo is also seriously rattled this month by the eclipse and across the winter by tr Neptune Saturn in opposition.

 Her relationship with Starmer is nerve stretched and high-tension now and through 2026 with tr Uranus opposition the composite Neptune Saturn. And tr Saturn Neptune opposition the composite Pluto.

  Musical chairs at the top won’t make much difference to a government that increasingly looks unable to cope.

Giorgio Armani, the maestro of fashion for both men and women, whose look was classical in its simplicity has died aged 91.  He first made a splash in 1975 with his “unreconstructed” jacket, which dispensed with lining and shoulder pads and was adopted by suave businessmen from Manhattan to Melbourne.

 His collections had a practicality that appealed to a hard-working, prosperous middle class in contrast to the glitter and flamboyance of his competitor Gianni Versace. Armani almost single-handedly established Milan as a serious rival to Paris as the world’s fashion capital. By 2024 he was thought to be worth £10 billion. 

  He was born 11 July 1934 7.20am Piacenza, Italy, with his mother making all her children’s clothes to such a high standard that “we were the envy of all our classmates”. The cinema was their entertainment and many of his designs were influenced by the classic looks of Hollywood stars such as Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and Marlene Dietrich. He worked as a window dresser, became a fashion coordinator, and joined  Nino Cerruti’s menswear operation. His US reputation benefitted from the exposure of the film American Gigolo (1980), in which Richard Gere’s modish lothario was clad exclusively in Armani.

‘An intensely private self-confessed loner, who enjoy​ed travelling and art galleries but was “distracted” by music and could only read books pertaining to his trade, Armani lived a life that was uncluttered to the point of minimalism.’ ‘For all his success, Armani retained a sense of melancholy, a shyness that restrained him from wallowing in his critical and financial success and led him to prefer the company of family and close friends to the fashion beau monde.

 He had a New Moon in Cancer (a favourite fashion designer sign) square Jupiter in Libra; with his Sun, Mercury conjunct a 12^th house Pluto in Cancer. His Venus in light-hearted Gemini was in a creative square to Neptune. What gave him the inner grit to push forward such a huge enterprise was Mars in Gemini trine Saturn in Aquarius sextile an innovative Uranus in early Taurus. He was certainly disciplined and could be hard-edged when necessary.

  His Cancer Moon fittingly was conjunct Sirius hinting at success in business, influential friends, good health. His mother’s influence on his creative talents was obviously critical.

Portugal has declared a day of mourning after at least 17 people were killed when a funicular cable railway derailed and hit a building in Lisbon. More than 20 others were injured, many tourists. Local media reports suggest a cable came loose along the railway’s route, causing it to lose control.

  It happened just after 6pm last night with Pluto exactly on the Ascendant ; and a 12^th house Moon opposition Jupiter square Mars in Libra in the international 9th – perhaps a hint of the foreigners involved.

 The Portugal country chart, 25 April 1974 5.15pm Lisbon has an accident-prone Mars Saturn conjunction in Cancer square Pluto which is catching the uncertain, undermining tr Neptune Saturn hard aspects now and right through the next three years. So it may be symbolic of more challenges to come.

  The Portugal chart also has the upcoming 21 September Solar Eclipse conjunct the Ascendant and across the winter tr Neptune Saturn opposition the Ascendant –  which suggests (start time being accurate) that Portugal will be seen in a new and perhaps not altogether flattering light as its image takes significant denting. Plus the Portugal Sun at 5 degrees Taurus is catching the tr Pluto square through 2026 and 2027 which suggests a great deal of pressure for change.

 The previous Lunar Eclipse of March 2025 set for Lisbon has the Virgo Eclipsed Full Moon opposition Neptune hovering across the Descendant/Ascendant axis so pointing to a significant event ahead.

  The crash although minor in the grand scheme of things globally may be a forerunner to existential changes ongoing for Portugal over the next three years.

Peter Sellers credited as the greatest comedian of all time was born 100 years ago. A favourite on the early BBC radio program “The Goon Show“, he had his first film break in I’m All Right Jack (1959). The film’s success led to starring roles in Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita (1962) and thence into Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Pink Panther followed with his iconic Inspector Clouseau performance.

 Born 8 September 1925 6am Southsea, England, into an acting family where his grandmother ran an acting company he was spoiled as a child since his elder sibling had died at birth. During his WW11 service in the RAF he met Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine, who would become his future workmates.

  In 1964, he suffered a nearly fatal heart attack after inhaling several amyl nitrites (‘poppers’; an aphrodisiac-halogen combination) when in bed with his second wife Britt Ekland. He made a full recovery but his insecurity and unpredictability made him difficult to work with and by 1970 he had fallen out of favour. Inspector Clouseau came to his rescue with three successful Pink Panther feature films before his quintessential role as Chauncey Gardiner in “Being There“.

  He struggled with depression and mental insecurities throughout his life and often claimed to have no identity outside the roles that he played. His behaviour on and off the set became more compulsive, and he frequently clashed with his directors and co-stars. His physical and mental health, impacted by his alcohol and drug problems put additional strain on his heart. Even after he had a pacemaker implanted he refused to slow his work schedule and he died in 1980 aged 54.

 He married four times and had three children.

  He had 1^st house Sun Mars in Virgo which was part of a talented and confident Half Grand Sextile of Pluto opposition Jupiter in Capricorn in his performing 5^th house sextile/trine Sun Mars and sextile/trine Saturn in intense Scorpio. He also had two yods. One with creative, escapist Neptune in his 12^th sextile a charming Venus in Libra inconjunct a 7^th house Uranus – one reason for his revolving marriages. Uranus on a yod tends to be nervy, rebellious, contrary, a trailblazer in a creative fashion and a disruptor. It was the best and worst of him.

 He had another yod of a Taurus Moon conjunct Algol sextile Uranus inconjunct Venus which again could be seen to have a creative side but would also give him problems in his relationships.

  A fascinating man and like many comedians immensely troubled.

“Donald Trump’s clueless diplomacy is a gift to Xi Jinping” runs the headline as Indian PM Modi cosies up to the Chinese and Russian leaders. On the surface it seems like a strategic slap in the face for Trump, though as ever in geopolitics there are pros and cons in either direction.    

India and China are not natural allies – there are bitter feelings over China’s claim to an entire Indian state – Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing calls “South Tibet”.  And since the border war in 1962, China has occupied 15,000 square miles of Kashmir that India considers its sovereign territory.  Plus China is by far the biggest provider of weapons to India’s old enemy, Pakistan. China’s threat to Indian territory becomes greater because of the sheer scale of Xi’s military build-up. China’s declared defence budget of $250 billion (£185 billion) is over three times bigger than India’s $75 billion (£55 billion) in part because China’s economy is almost five times the size of India’s.

 ‘In the past the only way for India to balance China and insure itself against the ambition of its neighbour is by drawing closer to America. That is what India has been doing for at least 20 years’ (William Hague).  But Trump’s bullying in trade talks and hosting of Pakistan’s army chief to lunch will have soured the mood considerably.

  Modi’s 3^rd Term chart is moving through treacherous times with the Mars square Pluto moving to exact within 4 months by Solar Direction and Neptune in final degree Pisces catching the September Eclipse and tr Saturn Neptune conjunct over the winter -so high uncertainty all round.

India’s relationship chart with China hints that hoping for the best may not be a good policy with tr Saturn Neptune opposition the Venus in 2026/27; and a nerve-stretched tr Uranus square Neptune in this year and next.

  But what shows more clearly upsets and dented hopes are India’s relationship with both Russia 1917 and Russia 1991 – with tr Neptune Saturn conjunct Uranus and opposition Pluto in 2026/2027 on one and tr Saturn opposition the composite Sun on the other.

  Nothing certain in the shifting sands of international diplomacy.

Looking at midpoints of transits may sound obscure but can occasionally be illuminating.

 The inner planet aspects to midpoints are fast moving and only around for a day or so – though in itself that can be helpful for that day’s mood.

 The Sun is square the Mars/Pluto midpoint today which is heavy going, requiring considerable effort to move ahead.

Venus is conjunct the Mars/Uranus midpoint which is emotionally excitable and at times upsetting.

 The more interesting ones are the outer planets which stay in place for much longer.

 Uranus is square the Saturn/Pluto midpoint pointing to difficult decision made in challenging circumstances. Can be risky and tough-going.

Uranus is also square the Neptune/Pluto midpoint which brings on hyper-sensitive nerves, with a hint of supernatural or bizarre experiences.

Neptune is conjunct the Uranus/Pluto midpoint = neurotic, low energy, uncertain, odd experiences.

Pluto is square the Uranus/Neptune midpoint = at the mercy of external circumstances, over easily persuaded, abandon resistance.

The outer planet midpoints will stay in aspect for some time and it shines a different light on the interplay of the four planets in early degrees – Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn – bouncing off each other.

Angela Rayner, the UK Deputy PM, is embroiled in a contentious situation over property with the Conservatives accusing Rayner, who is also the housing secretary, of hypocrisy. She avoided tax when buying a seaside property in East Sussex, purportedly to give her a safe seat for the next election. She ducked £40,000 in stamp duty by listing it as the only property she owns; and given she has also listed her Greater Manchester home as her primary residence, allowing her to avoid £2,000 in council tax on her government-owned flat in central London, it all seems a gigantic muddle.

 Whether or not it all turns out to be a storm in a teacup the optics are bad amid reports that Labour is planning to increase property taxes as a way of avoiding a multibillion-pound shortfall in public spending.

Tory Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake has written to the prime minister’s independent standards adviser asking him to investigate whether Rayner broke ministerial rules. There is no suggestion she has broken any laws, but the Tories said this was “inappropriate tax avoidance for a minister subject to higher standards of conduct”.

  Born 28 March 1980 in Stockport, England, she has been proud of her background as a single mother at 16 who later became a care worker, a trade union representative and then an MP. She has rollicked through several scandals and relationships. (See wiki).

  She has an unaspected Aries Sun which Tierney describes as  ‘an independent spirit but not always in a wholesome or well-balanced way.’ Self-esteem and self-pride are important. Can be self-centred.

  She also has an impulsive, explosive Uranus square flamboyant Mars in Leo and a ‘leadership’ Leo North Node. But what dominates her chart is a yod from  a super-ambitious Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct an indulgent, acquisitive Venus in Taurus conjunct Algol. Her Venus in Taurus is also opposition Uranus square Mars North Node and trine Saturn – so the most active planet in her chart.

  Her Solar Arc Sun is moving to conjunct her yod apex Venus in 2026 which need not necessarily be bad but it will highlight her possessive, materialistic tendencies. And by 2028 her Solar Arc Sun will oppose her Uranus for a major change in her life. In 2027/27 tr Neptune will conjunct her Sun for a low energy, discouraging phase. She has a mixed bag ahead in the immediate months with uncertainty, jolts and jangles as well as some luck. 

  But her relationship with Keir Starmer will be seriously stressed from later this month to early December with tr Pluto opposition the composite Mars; and a high-tension tr Uranus opposition the composite Saturn Neptune from early this August to May 2026.

 It may give Chancellor Rachel Reeves pause for thought as she aims to raise taxes in several directions against the background of this kind of tap dancing with property deals. The Rayner/Reeves relationship chart has a composite Sun Venus which is catching this September’s Lunar Eclipse – apex of a composite yod which binds them together by fate for good or ill – and this will bring a crisis or two crashing into their togetherness.

 Amazing to think Starmer’s government has been in for less than fourteen months – it feels old and worn out already.

ADD ON: Starmer’s relationship with Chancellor Rachel Reeves is also under pressure after his reshuffle, bringing economic experts into No 10, leading to charges that he had sidelined her.  All hotly denied.

 The pound fell sharply in the wake of his economic reshuffle with long-term borrowing costs, the highest in the G7 in the UK reaching their highest level since 1998 driven higher in recent years by persistent inflation and rising public debt. Borrowing costs are close to a 27-year high, increasing the cost of financing government debt to £100bn a year, almost 10 per cent of the annual budget. To add insult to self-harm, the chancellor’s tinkering with tax relief for foreign residents has driven the super-wealthy to friendlier climes overseas.

The Starmer/Reeves relationship chart with a composite Neptune Sun, Venus is being assaulted by tr Uranus in opposition exactly now (since early July) and extending on through 2026. The composite Pluto in final degree Virgo is also in line for this September’s Solar Eclipse and tr Neptune Saturn square the composite Pluto through the winter. So continuing strains if not an outright parting of the ways are inevitable.

George Clooney is being hailed by critics with ‘his best performance ever’ playing an ageing Hollywood A-lister suffering a midlife crisis on a trip through Europe in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly which has just premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

 Born 6 May 1961 2.58 am Lexington, KY, he has a 2^nd house Sun in Taurus opposition a film-star’s 8^th house Neptune which in turn squares Jupiter in Aquarius – laid back, friendly, with humanitarian interests and an aura of fantasyland. He has Mars in flashy Leo in his performing 5^th in a high-vitality opposition to Jupiter and a harder-edged opposition to Moon Saturn in late Capricorn. His 6^th house independent-minded Uranus trines an upfront Venus in Aries and squares his Sun Mercury. His Pluto North Node in Virgo is sparsely aspected suggesting he may find difficulty integrating his drive for power and influence.

 At the moment he has tr Jupiter moving through his sociable 5^th house for a morale-boosting few months. He will be under pressure of a good variety with tr Pluto square his Mars/Jupiter midpoint now and through 2026 which suggests success and will be positive for new projects.

  Though quite what his Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his 8^th house Neptune will bring by late 2027 into 2028 is not clear. Pluto on Neptune can be majorly confused but it can also trigger great ambitions – in this case from behind the scenes.

 His marriage to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin, 3 February 1978, has produced twins and despite a composite Sun conjunct Scheat appears to be sailing along contentedly. Her Jupiter in Gemini falls in his family 4^th house and her Aquarius Sun Venus in his hidden 12^th house – so it is a relationship that thrives away from public view. Her (Moon) Neptune sits on his Midheaven adding a caring slant to his career. Her Mars falls in his 5^th house of children and fun though it opposes his Moon Saturn which will create a few rough edges.

  Their relationship chart has a Water Grand Trine of Sun trine Neptune trine Mars with Sun opposition Pluto – again hinting at a relationship lived in a private bubble which is closely knit together, at times controlling and possessive.