A frisson of a Royal sex scandal (or two) is a welcome relief from the tedium of politics on a roid-rage rampage. Season 3 of The Crown dramatizes Princess Anne’s fling with Andrew Parker Bowles in the early 1970s, who was the about-to-be husband of Camilla, with Camilla simultaneously dallying with Princess Charles. The aristos at play. Parker Bowles was known as ‘the best lover in London’ but was also Roman Catholic which in those days was enough to knock him off the list of marital possibles. He married Camilla and a few months later Princess Anne was hitched to horseman Mark Phillips.
Despite her ‘duty before beauty’, severely unfussy fashion sense and obsessive work ethic, Princess Anne has always had a reputation for having an eye for the gentlemen before and throughout two marriages.
Born 15 August 1950 11.50am London, she has a 10th house Sun Pluto in Leo which will give her ambition, a need for control and growing influence through her life. It suggests a dominating father to whom she is close. Her Virgo Moon is conjunct Mercury Saturn for a hard-working and emotionally defensive mother who was not able, temperamentally or through circumstances, to give her the nurturing she needed, but to whom she is bound by chains of duty.
She also significantly has a private Water Grand Trine of Mars in uber-secretive Scorpio trine Jupiter in Pisces in the 5th trine Uranus in the 9th. Her relationship with her children – Jupiter in the 5th – has always been good and ditto her grandchildren. She travels extensively for Save the Children, Commonwealth visits and the Olympics – Uranus in 9th.
Her Venus in Cancer on her Midheaven gives her PR ability and charm; and squaring her Mars, a hint of passion. Her Venus also sits on her Uranus/Pluto midpoint pointing to ‘a constant longing for the new’ in her love life. And with her Jupiter opposing her Sun/Moon midpoint she has the good luck to attract enthusiastic and laid-back partners.
Andrew Parker Bowles, 27 December 1939, a Capricorn Sun with a Cancer Moon has his Pluto conjunct Anne’s Venus MC and his Venus in Aquarius is opposition so there definitely would be a strong attraction. But his Saturn squares her Venus MC – Saturn usually turns up when there are insuperable difficulties to making a long-term commitment. Their relationship chart has an affectionate composite Sun opposition Venus.
Her first husband Mark Philips, 22 September 1948, is a Sun and Saturn in Virgo so he would chime with her Virgo Moon Saturn; and his Taurus Moon falls in her 7th which is positive. He also has a passionate Venus Pluto in Leo square Mars in Scorpio so there definitely would be a sizzle initially though it didn’t last.
Her second husband Tim Laurence, 1 March 1955, has his Pisces Sun in her sporting 5th conjunct her Jupiter – and they do share sailing as an interest. His Venus in Capricorn opposes her Venus with his adventurous and lucky Jupiter Uranus conjunct her Venus – so there will be fun. Though the composite Venus in their relationship chart is in a confused and chilly conjunction to Neptune Saturn with the composite Moon square – and by all accounts they are not ‘close.’
She’s always been adept at flying under the radar as far as the media are concerned so won’t be overly delighted with this exposure though none of this was much of a secret. Tr Uranus will square her midheaven and oppose her Mars from mid this month till early March 2020 so she will be upset, if not about this, then because of other circumstances which blow up suddenly. Tr Neptune is also been opposing her Moon/Saturn midpoint exactly now and moving to oppose her Saturn Mercury in 2020 possibly indicating her concern for her ageing parents. Her Solar Arc Uranus has also been bouncing over her Moon last year and is aiming to conjunct her Mercury Saturn in three years – so not an easy phase of her life.
The Crown evidently also hints – shock horror – at the possibility of the Queen having an affair with her racing manager Lord Porchester, of which more anon another day.