Death by Eclipse — Princess Diana
This is part two. It is in continuation to my previous article on eclipses — Are Eclipses Fatal for the Rich and Famous?
In the previous article it is explained how — before, during or after eclipses many kings, leaders, rich, famous or notorious individuals perish. From ancient times to modern day, nothing has changed. In the wake of eclipses many kings and queens go. We studied the case of Emperor Dashratha who speaks of his impending death just before an eclipse.
Princess Diana’s life too was extinguished right before an eclipse. Princess Diana did not die alone. She died with her boyfriend. Both Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed died in a horrible car crash in Paris. Diana was only 36 years old.
Their fatal drive began at midnight of 30th August 1997 and around 12:25 a.m., the car entered the Pont de l’Alma tunnel at dangerously high speeds. Seconds after, their car crashed. They were being followed and harassed by the paparazzi. At 12:27 a.m., firefighters received a call for help, and police and firefighters arrived at 12:40 a.m. When they arrived, both the driver, Henri Paul, and Dodi were pronounced dead at the scene. Diana was declared dead a few hours later.
The car crash was so severe that it turned a Mercedes into an entangled mesh of metal. According to the firefighter, Xavier Gourmelon, the Princess of Wales last words were: “My God, what has happened?”.
A solar eclipse was due to occur on 1–2 September 1997. Both Diana and Dodi died a day prior. As per the Hindu calendar, it would be 2 days prior as the sun had not risen yet. Hindus measure a day from sunrise to sunrise.
The eclipse was a Sun and Rahu eclipse. True Rahu transited to सिंह (Simha or Leo) on June 20, 1997. With Rahu and Sun, Mercury was a part of the eclipse as well. In July 22, 1997, Mercury had transited to Leo. Sun entered Leo on August 16, 1997.
So what happens when Mercury is eclipsed with Sun and Rahu? An ancient book on astrology (2000 years old) by Varah Mihir sheds some light on this eclipse.
Varah Mihir had consolidated the works of astronomers and astrologers since the begining of humankind. So the shloka we read is not his work, but what has been observed for thousands of years by Hindu astrologers.
He includes Bhrigu’s works on astrology in his book Bruhat Samhita. Manu Smriti, the Law Codes of Manu, are a conversation between Sage Bhrigu and Svayambhu Manu. To read about about Manu, please read the article — Who Were the First to Observe Eclipses? Having an idea about Manu can give you an idea about the antiquity of the observations on eclipses. Sage Bhrigu was a very famous ancient astrologer (amongst other things).
अन्तर्वेदीं सरयूं नेपालं पूर्वसागरं शोणम् ।
स्त्रीर्नृपयोधकुमारान् सह विद्वद्भिर्बुधो हन्ति ॥ ५.६५॥
If Mercury should be so eclipsed, men living between the Ganges and the Yamuna, on the banks of the Sarayu (Ayodhya) and in the country of Nepal, those living about the east sea (east to India) and on the banks of the Sona will suffer. And women, princes (and princesses), soldier boys and men of letters will perish.
Soldier boys refers to very young commissioned or non commissioned soldiers of the army. Men of letters refers to writers or people who know a lot about literature (intellectuals).
Mercury is called ‘a prince’ in Hindu astrology. It is a neuter planet, i.e., it is neither feminine nor masculine. It is symbolic of youth and youthfulness. It is also the planet of wit and intellect. It rules communication and quick action, education and journalism. For this reason, the above results would be experienced in an eclipse with Mercury in it.
When a planet symbolising ‘prince’ is eclipsed, it means the heirs to kingdoms, business empires or children of leaders will be in trouble. The prince, the princesses and other offsprings of the rich and powerful will suffer.
We do not know the antiquity of these shlokas, yet strangely, they hold true for today. Now readers would understand, why this eclipse took the life of a young and influential Princess Diana. Along with her Dodi also died. Dodi was the son of a billionaire businessman. Both were the shining stars of their families.
‘Shining stars of families’ is a term that Hindus use to describe the popular, smart and talented young ones of any family. That is why, amongst Hindus you will find names like ‘Tara, Deepak, Sitara’ which imply the same effect. ‘Tara’ and ‘Sitara’ are names for girls and both mean a ‘star’. ‘Deepak’ or ‘Deep’ are names for boys and mean a ‘lamp or light’.
Therefore, during eclipses with Mercury conjunct, young shiny stars get eclipsed. Efforts must be made to secure the well being and longevity of such heirs through yajnas, pacifying the planets and other means.
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During her life, Princess Diana commanded a great public presence, making her one of the most photographed women in the world. In 1996 alone, more than 70,000 photos were sold, a testament to her global influence.
From her smile, her dresses to even her hair; everything was discussed by people and media. Her iconic styles are still copied today.
Even decades after her death, her hairdresser, Richard Dalton opines: “She was hilariously funny, impossibly glamorous and even more beautiful in real life than her pictures show.”
Needless to mention, her beauty made many around her jealous, and this included Queen Elizabeth II. According to 2002 documentary ‘H.M The Queen: A Remarkable Life’, the monarch was enraged by her daughter-in-law’s appearance in 1984.
Richard had styled Diana’s hair for the State Opening of Parliament in 1984 by the Queen, and the hairstyle allegedly made the Queen “furious”.
Why? Because the photographers instead of photographing the queen, photographed Princess Diana. The newspapers discussed her glamorous hairdo more than the Queen’s speech.
Diana was accused of “undermining democracy” and “solemnity of occasions”. Any sane mind knows that such statements are bad attempts at covering for gross envy.
This anecdote from her life is a testament to the power of influence. Even her hairdo was so influential that it eclipsed the work of all royals including the queen, and had the power to undermine democracy. This is the reason Diana was the natural shining star of the royal family, whether they would accept it or not. And, it explains why eclipses are forever important for the rich, powerful and the influential.
It is known that Diana had personal astrologers, but it is not sure what horoscopy they dealt with. Most astrologers deal with personal horoscopy and not mundane horoscopy.
Mundane horoscopy or astrology deals with the effect of planets, signs and stars on nations and cities, on races of people, on the world events at large such as natural calamities, earth quakes, wars, on the fate of influential and powerful like prime ministers, presidents, kings, queens, princes and princesses.
People in positions of power must always have at least one mundane astrologer who can interpret the effects of planets because personal horoscopy does not always give the correct picture. While it is very difficult to avert death all together, but life can be elongated for some time. Also, the passage to the other world can be made easier by rituals and prayers.
Sudden and calamitous deaths are called आकाल मृत्यु (aakaal mrityu). They considered extremely inauspicious and do not augur well for soul of the person who has perished. It is said that the soul really suffers and wanders aimlessly. It is unable to accept its own death and can cause hauntings. The suffering of the deceased soul causes its children and future generations to suffer.
So that the soul does not suffer, Hindus have elaborate rituals of श्राद्ध (shraadh). At present we are going through the fortnight of पितृ पक्ष (pitru paksh) where shraadh can be performed for the wellbeing of our ancestors. Pitru Paksh ends on 2nd October. A solar eclipse occurs on the same day making this day all the more powerful. If you cannot find a brahmin or a pundit to do the rituals for you, you may see this video and do it yourself — Answering Questions About Shraadh. The video is in Hindi and English.
Amongst the lesser known but rather intriguing things about Princess Diana is that she had Indian ancestry from her mothers side. Researchers uncovered the details of her lineage via a relationship of her Indian great-great-great-great grandmother — Eliza Kewark.
Eliza Kewark was housekeeper to Prince William’s great-great-great-great grandfather Theodore Forbes (1788–1820), a Scottish merchant who worked for the East India Company in the port town of Surat in Gujarat. Eliza’s marriage to Forbes was not solemnised and their girl child was illegitimate.
Eliza’s mtDNA was passed on by her daughters and granddaughters directly in an unbroken line to Princess Diana and then on to Prince William and Prince Harry. Eliza’s descendants had an incredibly rare type of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), inherited only from a mother. It has so far been recorded in only 14 other people, 13 Indian and one Nepalese.
If you still think that the deaths of the rich and powerful, of the influential and the famous around eclipses is a coincidence, in the next article the death of another intresting personality will be covered. This person was a ruler. He was exiled from his country and died thereafter. Afterwards, the country went into a long pointless war and the people who took control ruined the country. Can you guess who this person was? Click here to read his story.
Neena Rai — author of Amazing Ayodhya (English) and Adhbhut Ayodhya (Hindi). MA Mass Communication + Clinical Psychology. Interested in research, ancient wisdom, politics, yoga and esoteric knowledge. Join me on my journey of exploration and understanding.
Sources and further reading, click on the links below.
Time, day and sequence of events of the crash + Eclipses in 1997 + Queen furious with Diana’s hairstyle + Hairstyle undermined democracy + One of the most photographed woman in the world + Princess Diana’s Indian heritage from her mothers side
