Royal romance fans are enraptured by tales of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip’s ‘perfect love affair’ as they celebrate their 70th anniversary. But this was no easy marriage.
The Queen is a Taurus and Philip a Gemini, which isn’t an intuitively good match, yet in Gunther Sachs’ astrological study this was the most long lasting of all unions. Taurus is enduring, loves ploughing the same furrow for ever, is possessive, stubborn and a Fixed sign. Gemini has a reputation for wandering especially in the male of the species, but is flexible. That is mirrored into the rest of their charts. The Queen is incredibly fixed with Mars Jupiter in Aquarius opposition Moon Neptune in Leo squaring onto an obsessively dutiful Saturn on her midheaven. Philip has Sun Mars in Gemini, Saturn Jupiter in Virgo and Uranus in Pisces so is essentially Mutable, which means adaptable. She stands like an oak tree while he bends round her, though almost certainly keeping his escape routes open to suit himself.
He does have three Fixed planets for some staying power – a Moon Neptune in Leo like her, giving them both a liking for pomp and flamboyance, as well as tendency to gloss over unpleasantness in their emotional lives. And he has Venus in Taurus which is conjunct her 3rd house Sun, bringing affection and also an ability to communicate well. His Sun Mars fall in the Queen’s 5th house of fun, romance, playfulness and children, which is what he brings to the match. Her Taurus Sun is conjunct his IC (on a 9.46pm birth time) bringing a settled and sumptuous home life, important to him because of his erratic, largely penniless childhood. He would feel shut out by her conscientious need to carry out her responsibilities since her Saturn squares his Moon but was clearly able over time to build his own life and interests while staying within the Royal Family. His North Node is in Libra so close relationships would not come naturally to him. Oddly enough a relationship that had to withstand separations of career and travel would not always be a hardship.
Their relationship chart does have an easy-going composite Sun Mercury opposition Jupiter, which would help enormously to smooth round the inevitable rough edges in a goldfish bowl existence. But there is also a starkly difficult composite Mars opposition Saturn, which usually occurs where there is unkindness within a relationship or where one partner has to supress their needs to please the other. Philip certainly had to grit his teeth as he lost his career and his name when she acceded to the throne unexpectedly early, only five years into their marriage. That Mars Saturn would give rise to great aggravation and resentment at times, especially around the time of Prince Charles’ marriage to Diana, when tr Pluto was in Libra building up the pressure between them considerably.
Circumstances would also help to glue them together through the bumpy patches since divorce was unthinkable in those circles until relatively recently. Prince Margaret’s divorce in 1978 was the first royal divorce since Henry V111. By that time the Queen and Philip had been married for over 30 years and had no doubt found an equilibrium, which has mellowed in old age into a redoubtable partnership.
Prince Philip consort.
Died on April 9, 2021.
3-Apr-2021 013°,24’31 Libra Merc 180 Chiron
8-Apr-2021 +13°,01’07 Mars # C–2
Transits.
4-Apr-2021 011°,37’12 Aquarius Sat 180 Nep
7-Apr-2021 -14°,00’55 Jup // MC
7-Apr-2021 024°,29’09 Aquarius Jup 120 Drac
8-Apr-2021 024°,36’17 Aquarius Jup 120 Mars
9-Apr-2021 011°,59’05 Aquarius Sat 30 Black Moon
Queen Elizabeth II.
Transits.
4-Apr-2021 023°,57’11 Aquarius Jup 120 AR11
4-Apr-2021 011°,40’13 Aquarius Sat 150 Black Sun
7-Apr-2021 011°,49’32 Aquarius Sat 0 AR12
7-Apr-2021 024°,26’30 Aquarius Jup 90 Sat
7-Apr-2021 020°,22’54 Gemini Mars 150 Asc
9-Apr-2021 024°,46’37 Aquarius Jup 90 MC
10-Apr-2021 024°,57’45 Aquarius Jup 135 AR03
11-Apr-2021 012°,05’42 Aquarius Sat 180 Moon
15-Apr-2021 012°,21’43Aquarius Sat 45 Ura
18-Apr-2021 009°,57’45 Taurus Ura 60 AR03
18-Apr-2021 026°,49’32 Gemini Mars 135 AR12
18-Apr-2021 022°,01’31 Pisces Nep 60 AR10
21-Apr-2021 012°,41’11 Aquarius Sat 90 AR08
Many couples of my generation have survived living in ordinary little houses, Julie. But you are right that one has to give ones partner space. we have had separate holidays somtimes and have different hobbies etc. Time does bring couples closer, they do become as one in the end. Maybe thats why the Moon Saturn thing works because it isnt too close and suffocating in a relationship.
“Time won’t give us time but time makes spouses feel like they’ve got something real,” may be appropriate (lyrics slightly altered.)
I’m sure that living in a capacious palace has bolstered the longevity of their marriage. They’ve each been able to maintain some space. They probably live “miles apart” at Buck House, with separate living quarters. What’s that old adage? Familiarity breeds contempt. Only the rarest marriage can withstand close quarters day in and day out for years on end. Space helps.
Marriage is an interesting thing. The oddest couples stay together and you are right, often its a fixed sign with a mutable that works. A Zeus and Hera combination..and the woman can also play the role of Zeus! And i’ve often seen that the Moon Saturn combo gives a long lasting relationship but often with separations of some sort or another, work, career, need of one partner for some occasional space. 70 years though. I thought my 54 years was pretty good!