Royal Baby Watch

Royalty-watchers the world over are eagerly infanticipating the arrival of Wills’ & Kate’s firstborn this month, as the royal baby sweepstakes heats up to fever pitch. Due to recent changes in succession laws in Britain, this child will be third in line to the throne, whatever its sex, and both the gender and the due date of the child have been hot topics of speculation for months.

Conflicting hints and possible red herrings have bedeviled the press and public all spring. In March, the Duchess of Cambridge (as Kate Middleton is now formally styled) was caught in an apparent verbal slip when accepting a stuffed teddy bear from a well-wisher while making an official appearance at Grimsby. “I’ll save this for my d- … I mean baby,” the duchess was heard to utter, and the globe buzzed with the news that the royal couple were expecting a girl. But in May bad-boy uncle Prince Harry “leaked” the news that the child was to be a boy, and how much he was looking forward to having a little nephew, a possible bluff to throw off the press.

The baby’s very existence was a secret whose cover was blown in early December, when Kate had to go to the hospital, suffering from extreme morning sickness, thus pre-empting the carefully laid plans to make the announcement of her pregnancy at Christmas (her medical condition, hyperemesis gravidarum, typically presents when girls are expected, possibly confirming Kate’s verbal slip). Quick counting on fingers determined that July was the likely due date, but attempts to pinpoint that further have been frustrated by what may again be false trails left for the press. In mid-May the date was announced as on or about July 13, coinciding with the Queen’s formal celebrations of the sixtieth anniversary of her coronation. But later that same month maternal granny Carole Middleton let it slip that her new grandbaby would be a Leo, arguing for a much later birth.

Regardless, asteroid activity shows very clearly that July is the month, with several major transits signaling motherhood all focused on that period.

Born 9 January 1982, Kate’s 18 Capricorn Sun has been squared by TNO Haumea all year, encouraging fecundity. Haumea is named for the Hawaiian goddess of childbirth, and if Kate’s given birth time of 12 noon is accurate, then Haumea’s exact square to the minute of her Sun would have been October 6, 2012. Clearly, this is very close to a conception date for any child born in early to mid-July 2013, and transit Haumea’s Station Direct on July 3, still in square to Kate’s Sun, argues for an earlier delivery during that period.

Most additional factors support a birth by mid-month. Transit asteroids Ceres and Demeter, the Roman and Greek goddesses of motherhood, are both forming major aspects to their birth degrees in July, with Demeter at 26 Taurus opposing its natal degree of 26 Scorpio July 9-13, and Ceres first forming a semisquare from 5 Leo to natal Haumea at 20 Virgo on July 4 and 5, then crossing into the natal Fifth House of children at 7 Leo on July 8 and finally squaring its natal degree of 11 Scorpio, July 17-18.

Artemis and Diana are the Greek and Roman goddesses of childbirth specifically, and both are also active in July by transit. Throughout early July, transit Diana at 21 Aquarius will be trine to its natal degree of 23 Libra (interestingly, its retrograde station at 22 Aquarius on June 13th coincides exactly with the date when Kate’s “maternity leave” from her royal duties commences). [One cautionary note from the natal chart should be mentioned here—at 23 Libra, natal Diana falls between Kate’s Saturn/Pluto conjunction at 21 and 26 Pluto, which could indicate a death in childbirth, with both Saturn and Pluto acknowledged rulers of death, one ancient, one modern. This aspect is also reflective of her husband’s (Saturn) devastating loss (Pluto) of his mother, Princess Diana (Prince William, though born six months after Kate, shares this unfortunate combination).]

In late July transit Artemis will be conjoined natal Haumea, exact on the 28 and 29, probably a late guest at the celestial baby shower heralding Kate’s newborn. Saturn’s February 2013 station at 11 Scorpio was exactly conjunct natal Ceres and in exact trine to natal Artemis at 11 Pisces, and is another major indicator of Kate becoming a parent.

If the child is indeed a girl, then “Elizabeth” seems a likely candidate for the name. Not only is it the royal great-grans’ name, it’s also the middle name of both Kate and her mother Carole, and the Queen’s mother’s name as well, giving it strong family associations on both sides. Lending celestial support for this choice is asteroid Elisabetha (#412), which comes to its retrograde station on July 5 at 9 Pisces, closely conjoined Kate’s natal Artemis and trine natal Ceres. Natally Elisabetha falls at 22 Pisces, closely opposed natal Haumea at 20 Virgo, while William’s natal Elisabetha at 26 Taurus exactly opposes Kate’s natal Demeter, a possible indicator that the choice is high on the list of royal baby names.

Whatever the delivery date, whatever the sex, this royal birth signals the first time since Victoria’s reign more than a century ago that three successive generations of monarchs-in-waiting will be available during the life of the sovereign. Given Elizabeth II’s apparent good health and presumed longevity (her mother lived to 101), shall we shoot for four?

Alex Miller

Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, whose website AlexAsteroidAstrology.com offers a trove of info on the role of asteroids in personal and mundane astrology. He is the author of The Black Hole Book (available on Amazon.com) and The Urban Wicca, former editor of “The Galactic Calendar,” and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society. His pioneering work with Black Holes in astrological interpretation began in 1991, when his progressed Sun unwittingly fell into one. Alex’s books and writings are available on his website. Alex can also be reached for comment or services at .