Relationship Analysis for Siblings - A Case Study

Exploring sibling dynamics using the Davison Relationship Chart.

Photo by Jorn Eriksen on Unsplash

I am still feeling the positive vibes from attending NORWAC in person a few weeks ago, which was my first time attending an astrology in person. This one was even more special because I had the privilege of speaking at the conference as well! I really enjoyed spreading the gospel of the use of Davison Relationship Charts in a formal conference setting. I am hoping to extend on that talk by sharing some case studies in a series here on my blog, so that you can appreciate how to use them.

Many of us fixate on romantic or marital partnerships when performing relationship analysis in astrology. And while that is useful, there are so many more types of relationships that we encounter in our lives. Our first relationships we have are familial in nature, and these experiences with family shape so many other relational dynamics we encounter later in life. So as a post-NORWAC treat I want to walk you through an analysis of the sibling relationship between William, the Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Their relational dysfunction has become very public to see, so I think this will be a fascinating case study! If you want more details on how I conduct relationship analysis with the Davison Chart, please catch my NORWAC talk or look at any of the webinars I have given on the subject!

Prince William’s Experience of Siblings

First, we will look at Prince William’s chart to get a sense of his typical dynamics with siblings. He’s a Sagittarius rising, making Aquarius his 3rd whole sign house. Since his 3rd is empty, we will primarily look at Saturn to describe his siblings— which is hilarious because Harry himself is a Capricorn Ascendant and ruled by Saturn (in the 11th whole sign house). Aquarius does have connotations of being at the margins or dealing with social order, but its interesting that Saturn goes into its exaltation in the Libra 11th. This would generally describe a likable sibling who is capable of commanding attention and is prone to being rewarded for service. Since Saturn is in its own decan in Libra and nearing its exaltation degree, there is a certain degree of respect that siblings carry for the sacrifices they make. Harry does get a lot of accolades for the service he does, especially for people in the armed forces.

However, the exaltation of Saturn is corrupted by its enclosure between Pluto and Mars. Both planets can have connotations of obsession and fixation, but Pluto is one of immense power struggle, while Mars is just warlike in general. Since this enclosure happens in the 11th house of media, you can see the bigger picture being painted here. Harry does seem to have a negative relationship with the press and has declared war on them. When you think about the roles that Mars plays in William’s chart, Mars rules his 5th and 12th whole sign houses, but also his Scorpio midheaven. Perhaps by painting the brother as “wild” and “out of “control,” the sibling can be a scapegoat to uphold William’s personal objectives around his reputation while also concealing some of his own escapades.

The exaltation of the Saturn in Libra II reminds me of the times when Harry was still single and playing the “role of good brother,” that time also served to benefit William’s reputation. However, that part of Libra also has connotations of binding agreements or covenants that require each party to sacrifice something to hold the relationship together. I think of Harry’s own revelation that part of the falling out with his brother involved going back on promises made about press dealings. Interestingly, Harry being that exalted Saturn has leveraged the power of reclaiming his narrative, in ways that damage William’s reputation regardless of his intentions.

Prince Harry’s Relationship to Siblings

Next, we will see how Prince Harry connects to his siblings and what they are like. He has a Pisces 3rd house, and since it’s empty we would look to Jupiter. I find it fascinating that William has a Jupiter ruled ascendant and Harry has a jovial 3rd. Jupiter is depressed in Capricorn, but in the 1st house. This might seem odd when you think about William, but the placement makes a lot of sense. The first decan of Capricorn is not only Jupiter ruled, but has a lot of thematic elements related to conservation and surveying of land or other places to build foundations. William does have a lot of projects related to the environment.

But Jupiter in Capricorn is not the easiest place for Jupiter to be, and represents a point in the zodiac where Jovial principles of hope, optimism, and more abstract metrics of good are shoved down in favor of material outputs. It’s a scarcity driven Jupiter, as opposed to an abundance driven Jupiter. I can see that with siblings occupying the 1st in Harry’s chart, siblings are not only perpetually dissatisfied with the causes they hope to champion but rely on material incentives to justify their reasons for supporting them. Jupiter also typically has connotations of freedom. Jupiter in Capricorn is bound by the weight of expectation. Capricorn being the progenitor of tradition, is carrying a heavy burden and the sibling in this case does not get to enjoy the freedom that Harry has. Perhaps there is also resentment towards Harry as a result.

Jupiter in Harry’s chart is configured to much kinder planets. The most notable of these is the Venus-Jupiter square, with Venus occupying the 10th whole sign house. Venus ruling the 5th, 10th, and Harry’s IC are telling in this case, because there is likely something about Harry’s ability to freely pursue his passions and creative projects that might be motivating William to outperform him, while also working within the limitations he is expected to adhere to as next in line to the throne.

Their Davison

Now that we have looked at the projections around siblings each of the men carries, it’s time to look at their combined chart to understand their relationship. I find it quite telling that the chart is a Leo ascendant with Sun in the first, considering they are royal births. The Sun is in that middle decan of Leo, which does get to enjoy a lot of praise and accolades without having to do nearly as much work as others around them. It’s interesting because between the two of them, William did do a lot less engagements compared to the older royals. However, Harry is enjoying the perks of being born into the firm while also not being a working royal. This tracks for the two of them.

I think the Moon conjunct Chiron in 11th is telling about their complex relationship to the public or the media considering the trauma they must carry around the loss of their mom. However, there is a chaotic nature to their response that may suggest that they were never quite on the same page about it. The Moon is in a close square to Venus, and I find that the Moon in challenging aspects to the benefics can often describe the struggle between reconciling your desires (Venus) with your needs (Moon). To add insult to injury? Venus is not the happiest where she is, and she is ruling their 10th house. Venus really wants to find her purpose and niche to contribute to, but being fallen and retrograde might make this challenging. Venus also being the general significator of relationships makes me think that marital status also tends to change the priorities for these two when it comes to their objectives.

Interestingly, Venus also rules the 3rd house of communications and siblings. I can easily see how Venus retrograde in the 2nd, conjunct exalted Mercury (who also rules 11), and in her fall can create a breakdown in sibling relationships. Quite literally, it feels like turning a profit from either selling stories about your brother to the press, or him earning money to share his side which ends up making you look worse. Though the Venus retrogrades are no longer beginning in Virgo, this Venus rx in Leo should be interesting as it will have implications for their relationship.

Lastly, I did mention that you can look at how your Davison with one person can interact with other people. I find it telling that Kate’s ascendant is conjoined the Davison’s ascendant, and that Meghan’s chart has multiple contacts to this Davison as well. For example, Meghan’s Sun is on the Sun of the chart, her ascendant on the Mars of the chart, she too is a Cancer Mars, and also has that Virgo Venus! I think there is something here implying that her entrance into the firm really was a disruptive force to the dynamic between the brothers in a way that Kate’s marriage to William was not. Considering that the two of them would have married when the nodes were on the 1H-7H axis of Harry and William’s Davison, this would make sense. However, I will not bore you with the details and suggest you tune into royal tea time if you want more about the royals as case studies.

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Understanding your relationships starts with understanding your natal chart first! I am hoping that this exercise was useful for showing you how to perform relationship analysis for non-romantic relationships. I plan to do more installments in this series so if you have specific chart examples you want to see, email me! Also, if you want to chat about changes in romantic or non-romantic relationships in your life in greater depth, please consider booking a session with me. I am closing my bookings to everyone except those on my mailing list, existing customers, and referrals. So if you are a newer subscriber, please shoot me an email and see if we can start a great working relationship together! Finally, I want to reiterate that I have a discount for anyone with a Saturn in Pisces that counts towards one reading of their choice.