Andromeda DavisIn 1930, the year that the future Queen Elizabeth’s little sister Margaret was born, very few people read a daily horoscope. In fact, astrology was not very popular with common people at the time.
When Astrologer R.H. Naylor published his predictions for the newborn Princess in the Sunday Express newspaper, everything changed.
Editor John Gordon reportedly wanted the celebrity astrology Cheiro to predict Margaret’s future based on her natal chart. However, Cheiro recommended one of his assistants to do the job instead.
Eerily Accurate Predictions
Naylor predicted that Margaret would have an “eventful” life, which was certainly true but not much of a stretch considering that she was born royalty.
However, he also wrote that “events of tremendous importance to the Royal Family and the nation will come about near her seventh year.”
When Margaret was six years old, her uncle–King Edward VIII–abdicated the throne to marry his twice-divorced American mistress. Suddenly, Margaret was third in line to the throne as her father became King George VI.
That was a doozy of a prediction. Naylor also suggested that Margaret would be a real wild child, writing that the Princess would show a “scorn of restraint.”
Princess Margaret–who was very much a Leo–was known for her dislike of royal protocol. She chafed under the restrictions placed on her and went on to have many poorly concealed affairs.
Although readers couldn’t know which of Naylor’s predictions would come true, something about the column struck a chord. People wrote into the Sunday Express asking for more predictions based on the stars.
Eventually, Naylor was hired to write 2 weekly columns. One tracked future events of general significance to readers, while the other focused on predictions for people born that week.
Naylor had another major hit when he predicted that “a British aircraft [would] be in danger between Oct. 8 and 15.” On October 5, a British plane went down over France, resulting in the death of 48 people.
Changing the Face of Modern Astrology
His work became the foundation for modern-day Astrology, using simplified Sun Signs and broad strokes to paint surprisingly insightful pictures.
Although many Astrologers working today prefer to work with intensive natal charts and precise calculations, the general public still craves the kind of Sun Sign-based weekly or daily horoscopes offered by Naylor.
The idea that your Sun Sign could give an accurate, insightful look at your personality without needing to know the exact minute you were born made the practice of Astrology more accessible to people.
Shea Lee
