These are difficult times for the Royal family. In January, King Charles and the Princess of Wales were both hospitalized within the same week. Charles was in for a prostate surgery, Kate for a major abdominal surgery that required several days of post-op monitoring. Her convalescence, it was cautioned, would take six to eight weeks.

In February, Charles announced that he was being treated for cancer, site unspecified, that had been discovered while he was hospitalized. Meanwhile, Kate had disappeared entirely from public view, prompting rampant speculation as to what, aside from her health, might be wrong with her. Friends declared that she was still suffering stress dating from the rift with Prince Harry and Meghan. In addition, old rumors of an affair between Prince William and a neighbor, Rose Hanbury, were recycled to fill the void left by the absence of any official news from Kensington Palace.

In March, it got much worse. Russian news media said that Charles had died; British embassies world-wide were obliged to insist he was still alive. Within days, Charles formally announced that he was being treated for pancreatic cancer. The general prognosis from medical experts was that he might have only two years to live.

Within days, Kate released a video message with the news that she too, during her own surgery, had been discovered with cancer as well, site unspecified, for which she was now undergoing chemotherapy as a preventive measure.

This is a terrible turn of events for a relatively young woman of 42, who is both a highly visible public figure, yet also by nature a private person, a wife and mother of three young children. Little wonder that the British public has responded with an emotional outpouring of sympathy and support for her in this difficult time.

In the face of such events, astrologers are sometimes caught in a peculiar dilemma. For example, when Kate’s surgery was initially made public, and the official announcement took care to say it was a “non-cancerous” condition, my curiosity was piqued. As soon as I looked at her horoscope, so was my suspicion. I’ll explain why in a moment.

Although public figures are considered to be fair game for journalists, it is quite another matter to dissect a person in public via their horoscope. What gives us the right? Especially if such analysis were to lay bare things that any normal person would rather not see disclosed about themselves.

The moral dilemma is real. Kate and other public figures have a right to privacy. At the same time, astrologers have a vested interest in proving the validity of their science. For weeks I agonized over whether I could talk about what I saw in her horoscope. To date, I’ve only shared my conjectures with two colleagues. Only now, after March 22nd when Kate publicly announced her cancer and its treatment, do I feel free to explain astrologically what is happening.

Please refer to her horoscope shown below. For the record, she was born 09 January 1982 in Reading, England, allegedly at 7 pm. Based on events in her life, I’ve rectified that as 18h23. That time difference doesn’t change the ascendant, but it does affect the amshas/vargas, or divisional charts, of Vedic astrology, as well as the timing of bhuktis within the larger framework of the dasha cycle.

Kate was born on a lunar eclipse, deemed harmful to the Moon because the luminary disappears during the eclipse period. For Kate, this is highly significant, since the Moon is her ascendant lord. Not only is lagnesh Moon eclipsed, it’s also in the 12th house, a dusthana, a misery-provoking placement. Furthermore, the Moon is aspected by prime malefic Saturn. Generally speaking, these are all poor signs for one’s health and psychological wellbeing.

That aside, her ascendant is aspected by benefics Mercury and Venus from the 7th house, both of which are testimonies to the beauty and grace of a woman who is very much beloved by the general public.

Kate is currently running Mercury dasha, Jupiter bhukti, and therein lie the seeds of her current circumstances. Mercury is the lord of her 3rd and 12th houses, and although it’s in a kendra with Venus, its role as dasha lord is to provoke issues including the 12th house’s primary themes, eg, hospitalization, isolation, loss, etc.

Furthermore, Mercury occupies a nakshatra ruled by the Moon. As per Nadi astrology, this means that Mercury dasha will also bring out themes suggested by the role, condition and placement of the Moon. As noted earlier, lagnesh Moon eclipsed in the 12th house and aspected by Saturn is of grave concern for one’s health.

Her current bhukti lord Jupiter sits alone in a kendra free of influence from any other graha. But as bhukti lord during its period (June 2023 – September 2025), it will bring out issues related to both the 6th and 9th houses ruled by Jupiter. Of those two, note that one of the 6th house’s primary themes is health. Indeed, if we look for more specifics, the 6th house also governs the abdominal cavity, everything between the lower ribs and the bottom of the pelvic cradle.

In addition, Jupiter bhukti also gives results for its nakshatra lord Rahu in the 12th. As noted earlier, the nodal axis is a malefic agent in causing eclipses, which in Kate’s case, destabilized her ascendant lord Moon at birth. Thus, both dasha and bhukti lords elicit powerful 12th house themes, including hospitalization, isolation, and emotional distress.

The final step in a process of dynamic analysis requires us to examine the status of her dasha and bhukti lords within the context of the health-related amshas, ie, the Shashtamsha (D6) and Ashtamsha (D8) shown below. Bear in mind, however, that the orientation of these amshas is highly dependent on birth time accuracy.

In the D6, dasha lord Mercury occupies the negative 12th house, where it is associated with benefic Venus, aspected by benefic Jupiter and malefic Saturn. Overall, largely on the basis of house placement, this is problematic. Bhukti lord Jupiter occupies the negative 6th house, where it is aspected by benefics Mercury and Venus, and also in a (positive) Shubha-sankhya yoga with the Moon. Overall, neutral. Mercury and Jupiter are in Parivartana yoga, but since both are in dusthanas, this provides no relief. So, this remains a worrisome period.

In the D8, things are much better. Both dasha lord Mercury and bhukti lord Jupiter are in the 11th, a positive/neutral house, associated with benefic Venus, aspected by malefic Mars. Meanwhile, Jupiter is exalted, so this is hopeful in terms of suggesting a timely and positive intervention.

The problem lies in the Saturn bhukti to follow. In her D1, Saturn is an afflicted 8th lord. In the D6, Saturn occupies the 3rd house, a dusthana, and is aspected by the Sun and both nodes. In the D8, Saturn is in a kendra but is associated with both nodes while aspected by Mars and Jupiter.

Based on all of the above, her recovery may be painfully slow.

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For a slightly different discussion of this very same topic, see my YouTube post: https://youtu.be/YnZ5alI7TCs

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Alan Annand is a Vedic astrologer, palmist and author. He’s a graduate of the British Faculty of Astrological Studies and was for many years their sole tutor for students in USA and Canada. After being introduced to jyotish, he was certified by the American College of Vedic Astrology, and went on to enjoy advanced instruction from Hart de Fouw. Aside from consulting and tutoring, he has long been a professional writer, straddling the corporate and creative worlds. His New Age Noir crime novels feature an astrologer protagonist whom one reviewer has dubbed “Sherlock Holmes with a horoscope.” His books on Vedic astrology – Kala Sarpa, Parivartana Yoga, and Stellar Astrology, Vols 1-4 – have been praised for the quality of their research and writing. His latest book – Kama Yoga: Love, Marriage & Sexuality in Jyotish – is a complete guide to personal relationships as seen through the lens of Vedic astrology.

Website: http://www.navamsa.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlanAnnand

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Alan-Annand/e/B0052MM0PO