The cultural obsession with Princess Diana, still ongoing nearly three decades after her death, is the subject of a new book – Dianaworld. Author Edward White gives ‘a deeply-researched account of the public fascination from royalists, republicans, lookalikes and sex workers and approaches Diana’s story through the people who saw themselves in her – the doppelgangers, opportunists and superfans who found parallels between the princess’s life of extraordinary privilege and their own.’
Were they all “parasocial relationships”, one-sided, delusional versions of love or did she have an ability to mirror the problems of everyday people through her family dramas and connect through her outreach to AIDS suffers, the homeless and landmine victims. She was an antidote to the British stiff upper lip so stalwartly adhered to by the Royal Family and her death was a watershed moment for good or ill which unleashed a hidden reservoir of overwhelming sentiment.
‘Some grieved, while others found the public spectacle coercive, seeing it as synthetic as the plastic wrapping on all those flowers.’
When she died on 31 August 1997, there were two astro-influences of note on the UK chart. The first was tr Saturn in Aries square the 10th house Cancer Moon, representing the ruling classes, which would bring grief for the loss of a ‘maternal’ figure who dominated the national culture.
Even more significantly – which was my strong sense living in London at the time – was the Solar Arc Neptune exactly square the UK Pluto. Ebertin describes it as ‘manias, self-torment, obsession, confusion, a grievous loss, peculiar states of soul experience.’ Neptune Pluto accompanies events of total devastation and has connections to the supernatural. There was a feeling in London as if something not quite real was ongoing – almost a psychological disintegration as emotional controls collapsed, which can sound healthy, but is not a good outcome if the boundary walls with the unconscious are breached.
Princess Diana, 1 July 1961 7.45pm Sandringham, England, (birth time Debbie Frank, her personal astrologer) did have her Mars in Virgo opposition the UK 5th house Pluto. Given that her ‘leadership’ North Node in Virgo and her ‘desperate, trapped’ Mars Pluto opposition Chiron also connected strongly with the UK Pluto her plight would arguably trigger strong feelings within the country. I confess I tend to overlook the UK’s Pluto but since it sits on the focal point of a yod inconjunct Jupiter sextile Uranus, it clearly plays a powerful role in the country’s psyche and destiny. [All the more important to pay attention to it since tr Uranus will square it in 2026.]
And now that I look her relationship chart with the UK also has a Plutonic yod of Moon Jupiter sextile Mars inconjunct Pluto – perhaps one reason the ‘relationship’ with her is so hard to let go. Pluto relationships never split easily or quickly. And the composite yod makes it a peculiarly fated connection.
Diana’s Cancer Sun also sat exactly on the UK’s Midheaven opposition the Sun and square the Libra Ascendant so she was a pivotal figure in other ways as well for the country’s direction and image.
She died three days before a Solar Eclipse in the 18th North Saros Series which has particular relevance for the Royal Family, not all negative . Its most recent occurrence in 2015 saw Queen Elizabeth break Victoria’s record as the longest monarch on the throne.
In 1997 when Diana died tr Pluto was also exactly square the UK yod focal point Pluto, having just squared Diana’s Mars with the UK Solar Arc Neptune in exact hard aspect as well. So quite a pile up of devastating influences.
Helpful to revisit old events and spot other angles.
The post Diana – an enduring myth first appeared on Astroinform with Marjorie Orr – Star4cast.
