The King's Speech

Poor Bertie! To be born a Sagittarian with Jupiter at the Leo MC, to royalty, wealth and fame - and then to be condemned to a life of insecurity and suffering. Neptune opposite the Sun/Mercury could have meant as in so many instances an absent or drunken father; but Prince Albert's father was King George V. Like his grandmother Queen Victoria George was born with a Sun-Ceres conjunction in Gemini and a publicity-friendly angular Moon; but because we are dealing here with the most high-profile of public figures the sidereal pattern is the key to their royal conduct, which moves their Suns into mid-Taurus. It is this Taurean nature in both monarchs that guaranteed stability during each reign, even during the extreme trials of war; and it is this also that meant nothing should interfere with the status quo, nothing should threaten the image of continuity and normality. 

So when little Bertie was found scribbling with his left hand all the stops were pulled out to force him to conform to the right. Even without the harsh parental regime endured by all the royal children, this would have been enough - as it has been for many others before and since - to interfere with the young Prince's brain functioning, undermine his confidence, and induce that disabling and terrifying stammer. The brutal impact of father on son is vividly shown in their synastry: the King has his Mars on the Prince's Midheaven, his Saturn and N.Node on the rising Libra Chiron, his Sun on Bertie's Pluto. What karma was at work here? 

The King was, unfortunately, carrying this bullying tendency over from lives in the past. We find the Moon's South Node in Aries, tropically conjunct sidereal Mercury, and sidereally conjunct the tropical Ascendant. Queen Mary, representing George's setting Libra Moon and sidereal Saturn/N.Node, will have done her best to sweeten and cool her husband, but it didn't help her troubled second son. George V is known to have determined early on not to repeat the perceived irresponsibilities and indulgence of his own father's up-bringing, and you can see this so clearly in the draconic charts: Victoria's draconic Sun, Moon and Ceres (the importance of mothering/parenting) are grouped close to their Sidereal positions in 12-13 Taurus, resonant with the great royal star Aldebaran, comforting and gentle; George V's draconic Sun with Ceres is directly opposite at 13 Scorpio, resonant with royal Antares, and in the Aries dwad doubly aggressive and challenging. The sad thing is that with tropical and sidereal dwad stellia in Libra and Sagittarius respectively, in his own mind he probably thought he was a great guy and always doing the right thing - but it didn't work out in reality. 

Now, Bertie, destined to follow his father as King George VI, really was a great guy. As his saviour Lionel Logue pointed out to him in the film now winning so many awards, talking to himself in his own mind there was no stammer, no handicap at all. We can see for ourselves: in the tropical dwad which patterns the private identity we find the 'rising' Leo Sun and Moon of a true king. The opposition of Mercury to Venus from Cancer to Capricorn does indeed betray a sensitivity that can inhibit exchange, hamper relationship; a Mars/Neptune conjunction is always nervy, and the forbidding presence of Saturn and Pluto on IC and MC show what a struggle it is for him to be happy or fulfilled in such a demanding world. He will have seen himself as someone constantly put-upon, fated, born to stand in the spotlight and always do his duty, however difficult this might be. 

Where is Bertie's Dragon's Head? In Pisces 6. So as a person it is absolutely ok for him to accept and develop all the sensitivity that is in him. But as a King? Sidereally that N.Node moves back into Aquarius, and demands that George VI engage with the people - which means speaking to the listening millions.

Destiny brought him Lionel Logue. We can put up a Q-chart for Logue, using his birth data of February 26th 1880 in Adelaide, South Australia and Bertie's birth time of 03h05 GMT. When I first saw this the date was February 26th 2011, and I realised it was in fact his 131st birthday! And it brought a broad smile to my face - there in Bertie's North Node, sidereally at 13 Aquarius, was Lionel Logue's Sun. Here was the one man who could take him forward into the dauntingly public life that was calling him. 

When you consider that a Q-chart, put up from day to day, shows you what that day holds for you, the impact of Logue on the new King is all the more significant. It doesn't just show how the therapeutic relationship changed Logue's life, but of course what it made of Bertie. It is tremendously dramatic: royal Sun conjunct Midheaven in his Dragon's Head, royal Moon in sidereal Leo with Uranus at the IC in the Tail, charismatic and powerful Pluto rising, the Scorpio Descendant carrying his natal Moon and Mars. The draconic Q Descendant is 13 Aquarius again. Further, the tropical Desc (plus Logue's draconic full moon!) brings together Bertie's tropical Moon and sidereal Sun/Mercury all in late Scorpio. Not only is this moment - this man from Adelaide - a king-maker, he propels this terrified new King into words and acts of courage and a confidence that he never considered possible as he and his kingdom were shockingly engulfed in the cruellest of wars. 

Today these two men are remembered with love, admiration and gratitude as the story of their relationship has been celebrated in Hollywood with four Academy Awards at the Oscars.

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NB- Five charts (four of them bi-wheels) accompany this article; they have not yet been attached.

They are Bertie, Tropical/Sidereal; Logue Q Bertie Draconic/Sidereal; Victoria and George V both Draconic; Bertie's Tropical Dwad chart; George V and Victoria, both Sidereal.

If you wish to put them up, the data are as follows:

King George VI 'Bertie' - 14th December 1895, 03h05 GMT at Sandringham, UK

Lionel Logue Q Bertie - 26th February 1880, 03h05 GMT in Adelaide, Australia.

Queen Victoria - 24th May 1819, 04h15 LMT in London, UK.

King George V - 3rd June 1865, 01h18 GMT in London.