Penny Thornton met Prince Harry back when he was a tot. At the time, Thornton was working as Princess Diana’s astrologer, a relationship that spanned six years.
“I often think about him as this little boy in short trousers,” Thornton told TODAY.
Now 38, Thornton said that Harry has transformed — and that his birth chart informs that transformation.
Thornton is referring, specifically, to Harry’s decision in 2020 to "step back" from his duties as a senior royal and move, along with his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to California.
The move has had major repercussions: Once close with Prince William and his wife, the Princess of Wales, Harry and Meghan, who began dating in 2016, are now reportedly estranged from his family. The couples recently reunited for the first time in two years for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.
Since the “step back,” Harry has opened up about his experiences growing up Windsor in somber interviews touching on mental health struggles, grief over losing his mom at the age of 12 and substance abuse, notably in two interviews with Oprah Winfrey. Harry is expected to share more details in a forthcoming memoir.
“He was always this fun-loving, warm, friendly, outgoing kind of person — and we noticed this change. And we think, ‘Well, where did this very serious, full of intention, ‘new’ Harry come from?" Thornton said.
“I think it’s the reverse. I think this Harry, this man with intention, the man who takes things seriously, who’s in the role of the protector and provider for his family — that is the real Harry."
According to Thornton, Harry’s current behavior is more in line with the traits exhibited in his birth chart, or a map of the stars at the exact moment of his birth.
Born on September 15, 1984, Harry’s Sun sign is Virgo — but there’s so much more to his astrological profile than that, Thornton said.
Here’s what to know.
‘A person who has a purpose:’ Harry’s chart is ruled by Saturn
Like his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, Harry has a Capricorn rising, and Saturn, positioned high overhead, rules his chart. (Capricorn is also ruled by Saturn).
Within astrology, each planet represents a task or a realm of life; the sign the planet falls in is more the manner in which that task is carried out.
“Saturn is about putting structure to things. It’s a very serious-minded planet,” Thornton said of the planet.
Harry’s strong Capricornian and Saturnian influences, Thornton said, make him a driven and philanthropic person. “He is a person who has a purpose, and cares about the meaning of his life, and what he wants to do with it,” she said.
Thornton points to the MC Axis, the line connecting the 10th House (“destiny and purpose”) with the Fourth House (“your family, your childhood, how you grew up, and the influence your family, and your childhood experience had on you, which in turn, shapes the world you create yourself”).
“Somebody who’s got Capricorn rising and Saturn on the midheaven would be a person who would wear the responsibilities of their birth very seriously and they would want to continue — in Harry’s case — the royal line,” she said.
But, Thornton said, since he takes his duty so seriously, when he felt “unable to be who he wanted to be,” he took a drastic change.
“He couldn’t do the good that he wanted to do in the world, and he couldn’t be the father and the husband he wanted to be at the same time as being a senior member of the royal family and putting the royal code first,” she said.
Harry’s chart has other Earth sign influences
The 12 zodiac signs are separated into four elements: Air, fire, water and earth. And in Harry’s chart, earth signs have prominent positions. Really prominent positions.
For one, his “big three” — or his Sun (the ego), his Moon (the inner self) and Ascendant (what we exude to the world) — are all Earth signs: Harry's Sun is in Virgo, his Moon is in Taurus, and he has a Capricorn ascendant.
Further, Mercury (the planet of communication) is in Virgo, and Jupiter (the planet of expansion) is in Capricorn.
For Thornton, this propensity of earth signs further underlines what she believes to be Harry’s serious nature.
“He has huge care and concern for the job that he does. His commitment to making life better to making the planet better is a really heartfelt thing,” she said.
But Mars in Sagittarius makes Harry a rebel
But Harry is hardly stalwart — after all, he served in the British Army for a decade and can do stunts on an Apache helicopter.
And there’s evidence of his adventurous streak in his chart, Thornton said. Mars, the action planet, is found in the freedom-loving fire sign of Sagittarius.
“That is someone who’s fun-loving and adventurous,” Thornton said, adding a theory that he used that as a “front” to cover his “more sensitive nature.”
Thornton also points out that Mars is conjunct, or close to, Uranus, lending Harry the desire to go towards things that are dangerous or innovative, and break boundaries in the process.
“This is Harry the rebel. This is Harry the who doesn’t want to always do it the same way as anyone else. And this also is what triggered his fight or flee mechanism when he left the royal family,” she said.
His chart has a ‘beautiful’ connection to Princess Diana’s
Harry’s mom, Princess Diana, died in a car accident when he was 12. Harry has since spoken openly about the toll such grief took on his life.
Thornton said there is an “echo” of Diana in his chart, charting her enduring influence on her youngest son.
Within astrology, the Moon sign often represents mother-child relationships. In Harry’s chart, the Moon falls at 21 degrees of Taurus, two degrees away from Diana’s Venus (the planet of love), which was also in Taurus. This means Harry's Moon is conjunct with Diana's Venus.
“If you’ve got a Moon-Venus conjunction, it’s a really loving and deep connection without words — one of the most beautiful connections to have. Harry’s Moon in Taurus is an echo and a resonance with Diana,” she said.
“Harry himself has said she is a kind of living presence in his life. And I think you see this very clearly, with this Moon-Venus connection,” she said.
Prince William, Harry’s brother, has his Venus where Diana’s was, another “loving link” with his mother, which Thornton said is an indication that they will reconcile in the future.
But Harry’s chart also is etched with “loss,” Thornton said, due to its opposing aspect between the Moon and Saturn, indicating a “separation” from the place of nurturing. This is all the more severe given Harry’s Moon is located in the Fourth House, the place of home.
‘Driving force’: Inside his connection with Meghan
Synastry is the study of how two birth charts are in conversation with one another.
Thornton, who has written a book on the subject, said that Harry’s synastry with his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, shows an immediate connection.
“This wasn’t something either of them had to work at. It was an attraction at first sight,” Thornton said.
There’s also a way to understand their relationship’s evolution, especially in how it impacted his relationship with the Crown. She points to Meghan’s action planet Mars on Harry’s ascendant/descendant axis.
“We can look at Mars as this driving force. She brings out Harry’s ascendant — which is Capricorn. She brings out his real persona,” she said.
As for the future? Thornton said Harry's chart will be part of what shapes his decisions.
"You're born at a time when you're meant to be born. That moment with the planets is an absolute reflection of who you are. There are all the tools you need for your journey," she said.
