The Astrology of Five American Women and Their Royal Marriages

by Karen Christino

What is wedding astrology? Does it really work? Find out as acclaimed astrology writer Karen Christino uncovers the astrological factors that transformed five American women into royals and analyzes their compatibility with their royal husbands.

“Karen Christino gives us the inside scoop… fascinating storytelling.” — Dell Horoscope

“Regal Brides is a good read on the popular subjects of love, marriage, royalty and astrology, and is highly recommended.”  — Horoscope Guide

“Clear, easy to read… good astrological insight… well researched… writing shows the touch of a professional astrologer who has had much experience…” — NCGR memberletter

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Introduction:

Royalty doesn’t exist the U.S. Though the public and press may treat certain celebrities, wealthy individuals and government officials like royalty, their “reign” lasts only as long as their popularity, money or position holds out. Some do inherit status or cachet from their parents (Paris Hilton and Caroline Kennedy come to mind) but nevertheless don’t have any regal responsibilities dictated by birth. Still, many Americans continue to be fascinated by royalty.

A handful of American women have crossed over the line, so to speak. Americans Consuelo Vanderbilt (The Duchess of Marlborough), Wallis Simpson (the Duchess of Windsor), Grace Kelly (Princess Grace of Monaco), Hope Cooke (the Queen of Sikkim) and Lisa Halaby (Queen Noor of Jordan) became royal themselves through their marriages. What led them to their unusual life choices? Are there astrological factors that made them exceptional? Do the wedding charts or compatibility with their royal husbands give an indication of the happiness and success of the marriages?

I became interested in wedding horoscopes when I was writing regularly for Modern Bride magazine. The first marriage chart I considered was of course my own. I had the foresight to carefully note the exact time of our vows, but never thought to study the actual chart! When I did, I was dismayed to find that it had not only Mercury retrograde but also a Void of Course Moon. I consider myself very happily married and since we’re still together more than 25 years later, I speculated that the wedding chart may be secondary to the birth charts of the bride and groom.

After analyzing hundreds of wedding horoscopes, I’m convinced this is the case. The wedding chart will describe the official union, but it can never override the natal charts or a couple’s compatibility. And just as the greatest electional chart for a job interview won’t win the position if you don’t have the proper experience and credentials, no wedding chart can create a successful marriage if a person has chosen an incompatible partner, isn’t ready for a relationship, or isn’t able to work on it.

Britney Spears married a childhood friend in Las Vegas with Mercury retrograde and it was annulled two days later: an extreme example of a Mercury retrograde mistake. But Britney also has Aries on the seventh house cusp and Mars in the twelfth house square Neptune, so her overall approach to partnerships may be confused and rash. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s marriage had Mars conjunct Saturn as well as the Sun and Venus in a T-square with Uranus and Neptune: a challenging combination that no astrologer would choose. Yet the marriage lasted for over fifty years. David and Victoria Beckham’s 1999 marriage features a grand cross of Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Neptune—along with Saturn in the seventh house square Uranus. If wedding charts were supreme, this relationship would have faltered early on.

I could provide dozens of examples, but suffice it to say that I don’t believe that a great wedding date is the glue that keeps a couple together. Nor is a challenging one necessarily the disaster we might fear.

There is also the strange phenomenon of brides gravitating toward the date that they’re astrologically “meant to have.” I chose wedding dates for clients for a number of years and saw this on a regular basis, and I’ve heard other astrologers report the same thing. I would ask for unavailable dates up front, and tried for the best days and times. I always provided at least three dates to choose from, but circumstances would often change and they wanted me to come up with something new. I even had some clients manipulate me into approving their own previously selected dates, after paying for better astrological ones! It seemed to me that destiny had a hand in these situations, and it became obvious that the “free will” and supposed choice of an electional chart weren’t all that potent.

Still and all, wedding horoscopes, like any birth charts, can be very illustrative. They provide additional information about the bride, the groom and the marriage itself. I was most attracted to studying marriages that were unusual. The weddings of Americans to foreign royalty are especially interesting. They show the significance of the birth charts and compatibility, and this symbolism is often reflected in the wedding charts as well.

Both Jupiter and Saturn are important in the horoscopes of women who marry foreign royals. Jupiter represents the attraction to another culture and people, as well as the possibility of adventures on foreign soil. Saturn relates to status, responsibility, obligations and limitations, which may be more significant for these couples than Jupiter. Saturn can sometimes represent an older, titled or even controlling man, and that symbolism appears as well. The women of these marriages usually have children, which are both a Jupiterian blessing as well as a Saturnine responsibility. And they are generally required to relinquish their U.S. citizenship, which necessitates both embracing new foreign homes (Jupiter) as well as denying the old ones (Saturn).

Many thanks to Dell Horoscope and The Mountain Astrologer magazines, who first published some parts of this book.