Shakespeare’s Prince Hal rose to the challenge of transitioning into a stalwart King Henry. Which was the faint hope in Thailand two years back when Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn moved closer to replacing his revered, steady-hand-on-the-tiller father who had reigned for seven decades. Maha, 28 July 1952 5.45pm Bangkok, Thailand, was a playboy prince, with a rackety reputation, three failed marriages and an explosive temper who made his pet poodle an Air Chief Marshal in the Thai air force and gave him a four-day Buddhist funeral when he died.

Since being crowned on 4 May this year he has done nothing to dispel doubts about his suitability for the role – firing aide after aide as well as his much publicized consort for scheming against his fourth wife; as well as putting himself in charge of the multi-billion pound Crown Property Bureau, and assigning military troops to his Royal corps. All the hallmarks of an absolutist monarchy.

His chart is certainly grossly indulgent, acquisitive and control-freaky with Jupiter in Taurus opposition an ambitious and vengeful 10^th house Mars in Scorpio squaring onto Pluto Venus in Leo; with the Sun and Mercury also in Leo. Plus a can-be-fanatical and autocratic Uranus square Neptune Moon Saturn in Libra. After his third divorce, he had his ex-wife’s parents thrown in jail for criticising him. Lese-majeste is a crime in Thailand, which pushes public discontent underground.

His Coronation chart timed at 10.09 am has the repressive, restrictive Saturn Pluto in the 7^th inconjunct Mars and square Venus Mercury, so was never going to be a light-hearted affair. With an opportunistic Mars opposition Jupiter in an evasive square to Neptune.

By the end of 2021 the Saturn Pluto conjunction will have moved by Solar Arc to exact and Pluto will be squaring the Mercury at the same time, followed by Solar Arc Saturn – so the sombre mood will intensify over the next few years. There’ll be panicky failure at the top from 2021 to 2023 with tr Neptune square the Mars and Jupiter which could indicate financial problems as well.

His own chart is on a jolting, jangling, explosive few years as tr Uranus squares his Sun this year and next, and then proceeds to square his focal point Venus Pluto 2021 to 2023/4 which will turn his life upside down. Tr Pluto square his midheaven in 2023/24 can bring a ruined reputation or a fall from high position so he won’t get away with his bad behaviour unscathed.

Are Trump and Putin about to fall out of the bro-romance? It’s an intriguing notion floated by Haaretz which points to Trump’s reversal of the bring-troops-home-from-Syria order to leave some USA soldiers to guard the oil fields. Russia regards the oil as war booty and was furious, accusing the U.S. of illegal activity – stealing $30-40 million a month, money that rightfully belongs to the Syrian regime. Trump says he’s considering signing a deal with ExxonMobil to run the oilfields with one practical outcome being it could finance continued aid to the Kurds, without affecting U.S. coffers. According to Syrian websites, Russia had been awarded most of the franchises for producing oil by Assad with Iran getting little of substance.

Trump double-crossing and stealing from his best buddy. Who’d have thought?

Their relationship chart has a composite Sun Pluto conjunction which suggests a controlling connection that is significant for both. But once the purpose of the coming together has been fulfilled the parting of the ways with Plutonic relationships is usually long drawn out and bitter. And the synastry is very challenging with Putin’s super-control-freak Pluto conjunct Trump’s Mars and Ascendant; and Putin’s Mars in Sagittarius conjunct Trump’s Moon opposition Sun.

There will be a disappointing dip in the mood between them mid this November to mid December; with this December Capricorn Solar Eclipse opposing the composite Uranus – and next June’s Cancer Solar Eclipse conjunct the Uranus – so there will be a major turnaround in relations. There’s also muddles and mayhem at the moment till mid November – and aggravation from late January 2020 onwards. With other Neptunian swamps lying in wait through 2020.

It’s not beyond the bounds of possibility that it could pull apart to the extent that there’s payback from the Russian side. And wouldn’t that be interesting?

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The legendary TV and radio presenter Gay Byrne has died, described as Ireland’s ‘conscience and confessor, sounding board and steering hand.’ Despite an unassuming personality and a life devoid of showbiz pzazz he had an extraordinary impact on his native country for the nearly four decades where the content of his shows was the main talking point. He defied the Catholic church’s rulings on birth control, shone a light on women’s rights, lesbian nuns, alcoholism, domestic violence and HIV/Aids; and mixed light entertainment with steely interrogation of political figures.

Born 5 August 1934, no time sadly, he was an entertaining Sun Leo sextile Jupiter in fair-minded Libra with a Gemini Moon. His Jupiter was also square a passionately enthusiastic and emotional Venus Mars in Cancer.

His Sun falls in the Ireland 3^rd house of communication; with his Jupiter conjunct the Ireland Saturn so he’d help to loosen up the downbeat and repressive streak in the country. His Venus Mars were conjunct the Ireland Moon Pluto so from another angle he’d challenge old Ireland’s iron grip on women’s lives. And his Saturn was conjunct the Ireland Midheaven and Mars so while he wouldn’t always make himself popular with his controversial items he would hold the country to a standard of decency.

Anthony Hopkins looks set for another triumph with Netflix’s The Two Popes receiving rave reviews. He plays Pope Benedict, wracked with doubt on the edge of retirement with Jonathan Pryce as the other lead playing his greatest critic and future successor Pope Francis. It launches later this month and is based on a play by New Zealander Anthony McCarten who wrote the screenplays for Bohemian Rhapsody and Darkest Hour. Rotten Tomatoes have given it 90%.

Anthony Hopkins, 31 December 1937 9.15 am Port Talbot, Wales, has had an astonishingly long and illustrious career, starting on the stage and thence onto film and television with highly praised performances in Silence of the Lambs, Remains of the Day, more recently Thor and Westworld.

He has a hidden and creative collection of Sun, Mercury, Venus in Capricorn in his 12^th trine an innovative Uranus in the 3^rd and sextile Mars in Pisces. Plus a superstar Neptune in the 8^th in an artistic opposition to Saturn squaring onto a Sagittarius Moon. Plus an intense Pluto in the 7^th trine Saturn.

He had a tough childhood and was deemed stupid at school and has recently been diagnosed as a high functioning Aspergers. He’s been married three times with a daughter from whom he is estranged. Emotionally he doesn’t have an easy temperament with a focal point Moon onto Saturn and Neptune and an overly controlling Pluto in the 7^th. His daughter whom he abandoned as a toddler with her mother was born in 1968 so has the Uranus Pluto conjunction in Virgo colliding with his Neptune, Moon and Saturn; and her Saturn in Aries squares his Pluto. A difficult crossover.

He’s now 82 and with tr Saturn aiming to move across his Ascendant from January 2020 he will want to start winding down his workload. He does have an enthusiastic and lucky tr Uranus square his Jupiter over the New Year and through January, so despite the tr Saturn conjunct Pluto on his Ascendant he’ll be feeling good for a while anyway.

Jonathan Pryce 1 June 1947, is a Sun Gemini trine Neptune sextile Saturn Pluto in Leo so an interesting mix of complications – flexible and dreamy as well as tough-minded and ambitious. He’s also got a charming Moon Jupiter in Scorpio opposition Venus Mars in Taurus, which will anchor him down. He’s got an upbeat tr Pluto sextile his Jupiter as of now; and his Progressed Sun is square his Jupiter either now or next year, so in a buoyant phase.

There are yowls of protest as Boris Johnson has blocked the publication of a report on alleged illicit Russian activities in Britain before the election. The inquiry by the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee is believed to have looked at claims of Moscow’s attempts to influence the Brexit campaign and Russian money going into UK institutions including sizeable donations made to the Conservative Party. Dominic Grieve, the committee’s chairman said the decision to delay publication was “jaw-dropping”. His outrage has been echoed by other high-level former public officials.

Grieve, 24 May 1956, is a barrister, former Attorney General, fervent Remainer and now an independent having been de-whipped in the recent political massacre by Johnson. He’s a Sun Gemini opposition Saturn in late Scorpio which in turn is in a formidably stubborn T Square of Jupiter Pluto in Leo opposition Mars. He’s no fan of Boris’s with his Gemini Sun conjunct BJ’s Mars and square BJ’s Saturn and Uranus Pluto and his Saturn square BJ’s Mars.

Boris is known to have been cosy with at least one wealthy Russian oligarch, ditto Cameron and Osborne – and questions have been raised about Dominic Cummings who spent three years in Russia in the 1990s.

Relocating Boris’s chart to Moscow does put his sociable Sun Venus on the Descendant, with a comfortable Jupiter in the 4^th opposition an evasive Neptune in the 10^th, and a party-going Mars in the 5^th. Nothing definitive but Russia will hold some charms for him.

Boris has as much decency and respect for rules and protocols as Trump.

Lindsay Hoyle is reckoned a safe pair of hands as the new Speaker of the House of Commons as it enters one of the most decisive times in its long history. After the pyrotechnics of John Bercow everyone is sighing with relief. Hoyle, 10 June 1957, is a known quantity having been a deputy speaker since 2010 and having a long background in politics.

He’s an amiable Sun Gemini square Jupiter in Virgo with a steady and practical Mercury in Taurus in an intense square to Pluto and sextile Mars – so he’s capable of delivering his opinions with force when necessary.

He looks jubilant at the moment with his Solar Arc Mars conjunct his Jupiter and tr Pluto square his Jupiter/Node mid this November to mid December. But from early 2020 onwards he looks exceptionally fraught with a trapped, frustrating tr Pluto opposition his Mars from late January, off and on till late 2021; and an undermining tr Neptune square his Sun from late March, again repeating into 2021 when tr Neptune opposes his Jupiter – so a slipping, sliding and aggravating two or three years ahead. There’ll also be additional catastrophes from July 2020 onwards into 2021 as tr Uranus squares his Mars/Pluto midpoint.

He was elected at 8.22pm on 4^th November which puts an indecisive Neptune on the Midheaven in an over hopeful square to Jupiter. But what is more worrisome is an argumentative and blocked 4^th house Mars square Saturn Pluto on the Descendant – suggesting a scary mood and extreme difficulty getting agreement in the House.

All of which is mirrored in the original Simon de Montfort Parliament chart of 20 January 1265 JC. Tr Neptune is in an undermining square to the Pluto in 2020/21 as well as in a debilitating square to the Solar Arc Saturn Mars from this year through next. With major upsets and high tension this year from Solar Arc Uranus conjunct the Saturn and moving on in 18 months’ time to make an even more explosive conjunction to the Mars. By 2022 the Solar Arc Mars Saturn will start to oppose the Pluto for three years of deadlock thereafter. None of which look like business-as-it-used-to-be for some considerable time ahead.

Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Speaker in Congress, is juggling an astonishing portfolio as she heads for her eightieth birthday next March. Spearheading the impeachment inquiry against Trump she’s also casting an anxious eye over the left-wing Democratic candidates, pointing out their liberal policies won’t win over swing voters in the Midwest states needed to defeat Trump.

Born 26 March 1940 she’s an upfront and pro-active Sun and Jupiter in Aries with a formidably stubborn and enduring collection of Saturn, Uranus, Venus, Mars spread out through Taurus; plus an intense Scorpio Moon.

She has more downers than uppers ahead with tr Saturn opposition her Progressed Mars and square Jupiter late November; and conjunct her Jupiter/Node midpoint in early November; plus a sinker of tr Neptune square her Saturn/Pluto midpoint mid this November till mid December. She will have some wins late November to late December and again in late April. But 2020/21 look disheartening with career losses and plans not working out from late March through till July 2020 and on till late 2021.

Her Speaker’s term chart, 3 January 2019 2.50pm, is a really tough push with the Sun conjunct Saturn and Pluto; and an over hopeful Jupiter square Neptune in the 10^th.

But she is doing sterling work and with her Mars (conjunct Algol) sitting on Trump’s midheaven along with her Uranus Venus, she does have the wherewithal to do him damage.

George Galloway, a headline-grabbing politician of various hues and dubious associations has pledged to fight Tom Watson, Deputy Labour leader in the general election. GG’s CV is littered with controversies, largely centred around his Middle Eastern alliances and charity. Although tossed out of the Labour Party for bringing the party into disrepute he’s a staunch supporter of Corbyn. Watson, elected on a separate ticket, belongs to a more centrist Labour Party than his Comrade leader.

Galloway, 16 August 1954 6 am Dundee, Scotland, is an upfront and controlling Sun Pluto in Leo on his Ascendant in a ruthless trine to Mars in outspoken Sagittarius. He’s also got a lucky, adventurous Jupiter Uranus in a can-be-fanatical square to Neptune in his 3^rd, making him a slippery communicator.

He’s got Solar Arc Neptune conjunct his Mars at the moment and over coming months which isn’t usually successful. As well as a droopy tr Neptune conjunct his Moon mid November to mid December as well as a high-tension tr Uranus opposition his Saturn. And across 2019/2020 he has tr Pluto in a confusing square to his Neptune.

Tom Watson, 8 January 1967 Liverpool, has been fighting a rearguard action against the Labour hard-left battalion who have been taking over the party since Corbyn took over. And he has recently as well egregiously blotted his copybook with his tragically miscalculated support for the fantasist Nick who made wild allegations about a VIP political paedophile ring.

Watson is a Sun Capricorn square Mars in Libra which has been ground down in 2016/17 by tr Pluto in hard aspect. He’s got a very mixed set of influences – looking discouraged in the run up to the election with tr Saturn conjunct his Sun and square Mars late November and a droopy tr Neptune conjunct his Sun/Node. With an even more confused and undermining Solar Arc Neptune conjunct his Sun and square his Mars right through till 2020. But he’s also got the upbeat tr Pluto square his Mercury/Jupiter across December. And his Solar Arc Jupiter is conjunct his Uranus which is usually a good omen. He’s difficult to decipher in terms of what he actually wants from this election – apart from keeping his seat, of course. But in his heart of hearts he won’t be angling for a Corbyn win.

Dangerous levels of smog have closed schools, brought car rationing and respiratory problems to the many millions who live in Delhi, capital of India. It has always been considered one of the worst polluted cities on the globe, much worse even than Beijing, but is particularly bad this year with readings so high they can’t be recorded. The causes are said to be farmers in neighbouring states burning crop stubble to clear their fields, construction and industrial emissions – all worsened by fireworks set off during the Hindu festival Diwali a week ago. All of which create a lethal cocktail of particulate matter – carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide which has turned the city into “gas chamber”.

The India chart does have Progressed Mars conjunct the Saturn Pluto conjunction in Leo exact as of now and waning gradually into next year. That is very stuck and scary, which won’t all be the smog but that may be symbolic of a general sense of malaise and fear across the country with economic growth forecasts being cut back and border problems with Pakistan, Kashmir and China.

The tr Saturn Pluto will square the India Solar Arc Saturn Pluto through 2020/21 which will be a slog. Though there should be some uplift from tr Jupiter moving into the India business-finances 8^th house from now for a year ahead.

Narendra Modi’s Second Term chart, 30 May 2019 7.04 pm Delhi, always looked very tough going with the deprived/hardship Saturn Pluto in the financial 2^nd house and a stuck Mars in the 8^th house of international finance. Mars in the 8^th can also point to natural/man made disasters. This term chart also has an overly-optimistic, bubble-bursting Jupiter square a ‘foggy’ Neptune in the 4^th which makes sense of present domestic woes.