I don't think any astrologer could (or would want to) forecast such a tragic and premature death. However, read an analysis of Nostradamus' prophetic writing on her life.

As with the death of President Kennedy, where the cause of the disaster seems to be entirely external to the individual, it is tempting to write it off as a terribly unlucky event that is beyond the scope of planetary forces. This would be true if the chart merely deals with our conscious potential and our ability to shape the world around us.

However astrology is more complex than that and there is no doubt that the subconscious works in a way that attracts certain events and experiences.

Diana has a chart that is so wonderfully easy on one level and so horribly difficult on another. So it is only natural that her conscious personality would veer towards the Grand Trine in the receptive and sensitive element of water. For astrologers the Grand Trine involved the Sun (7^th house), Neptune (10^th house) and Chiron. This beautiful planetary alignment enabled her to promote altruistic and spiritual causes, to relieve suffering, to inspire recovery, and to touch people in a very personal way. The prominent Neptune made her both highly photogenic and an idol, goddess or saint in the eyes of many.

The tough part in her chart is the 'T' square comprised of the Uranus/Mars/Pluto conjunction square to Venus opposite her Aquarian Moon. The challenging Moon (family) and Venus (personal love) accounts for her difficult childhood and marriage. While her relationship with the public was an unrequited love affair, personal relationships were much less smooth.

So the rather powerful, dominant, sexual and even destructive Uranus/Mars/Pluto conjunction was kept in the background of her conscious personality.  While her feminine planets, Venus and the Moon predominated in the foreground.   Sometimes the conjunction would come out in sporting activities, with her swimming, diving, winning the 'Mother's Race' at her children's school, work-outs in the gym and when she took up kick-boxing as a way of releasing her anger after her marriage break-down. It was used most constructively in her efforts to combat the problem of land mines.   However some of the time, this critical side would appear through external events and usually at key break-through moments.

She was the epitome of the innocent, shy, virgin when she first met Charles.  But there was a powerful energy around her. And when Charles and Diana started dating, Charles had a strange series of accidents like falling off his polo pony. Then at the time soon after her father died and her marriage started to break down, Charles was nearly killed in an avalanche while skiing at Klosters. No one will ever truly know why the marriage didn't work. Maybe Charles was unable or unwilling to handle this volcanic-like, hidden side to her nature. Certainly trouble seemed to erupt in her dealings with her husband, mother, stepmother, lover, the Royal Family, journalists and others. Mostly events suggested that she was the innocent victim. Though such entanglements invariably involve the actions of two parties. With Dodi, Diana entered another break-through phase in her life. Up until then her relationships had been confined to a husband who didn't love her and a lover who couldn't be trusted.   Now she was with someone with whom, for the first time in her life, she was emotionally and physically fulfilled. Now the powerful hidden side had to be recognised and dealt with in a personal way. Perhaps like opening a shaken-up bottle of champagne, the liberation was just too much to happen in a gentle-way.

Does the astrology back up the theory? Of course, it does - but not in such a way for an astrologer to have been able to predict disaster.

The first significant transit is Uranus on her Jupiter. This indicates she was going through a period when frequent travel produces exciting and unexpected experiences. People from foreign cultures are highly stimulating and introduce you to a new world. By and large this could be expected to be a positive transit and indeed her time with the Al-Fayed family in France appeared to be just that. Nevertheless her Jupiter is at the apex of her Yod or Finger of Fate (involving Mars - speed and Mercury - transport) which adds risk and complications to this cycle.

Why Paris?

The Finger of Fate was being triggered in Paris. On Diana's Astro*Carto*Graphy map, Paris is close to her Mercury Descendant line (approx. 75 miles/120 kms to the East). Symbolically events surrounding being driven by someone in a car are to be expected on such a line.

Australian astrologer Linda Hill points out that the Sabian symbol for her Mercury (Cancer 4) is - A Cat Arguing with a Mouse. As Linda points out Diana's relationship with the media was a something of a 'cat and mouse game'. Several motorcycles zipping around a car in a tunnel sounds very like a cat and mouse game.. and one that went horribly wrong.

A critical planetary build-up at a key location leading to a Solar Eclipse.

But what had been arousing the most powerful and dangerous part of her chart in a challenging way for some time was Pluto in Sagittarius squaring her Mars (1½° orb on the day). This long-term influence was strengthened with the Sun a day off an exact conjunction with her natal Pluto leading up to an eclipsed New Moon on 2^nd September.

Eclipses coincide with key turning points in Diana's life - perhaps not surprisingly for a Sun sign Cancer. William was born on a Solar Eclipse. Diana's divorce from Charles was announced in the Houses of Parliament on a lunar eclipse. To me this suggested that the Sun representing the Prince, would eclipse the Moon representing Diana… effectively that Charles would become more prominent. In life that might be true, but then again the legacy of Diana is such that we will never forget her. For more about eclipses and Diana's life go to Lunar Eclipses.

It's all very well analysing how this all happened. Perhaps it's better than trying to blame anyone. Maybe it helps to understand how life moves in such strange and terribly unfair ways. But it doesn't bring back who was such a force for good and was so very special to so many people.

- Robert Currey