Ilin Shieh
[Celebrity Read] King Charles III
In full disclosure, I pulled the Celtic Cross and wrote the majority of the reading on November, 1, 2021, at 11:21am. For some reason, I never got to writing the progression cards in the spread. It was yesterday, with the news of the Queen Elizabeth’s passing, that I remembered doing this read. Given the synchronicity now, I decided to complete the card interpretation post-fact. So I am interpreting the progression cards now on 9/9/2022, the day after the Queen’s passing. I have done my best to project from the standpoint of Prince Charles before coronation, and hopefully because he has held the new position for less than a day still, we will be able to use this last part to project the possible characteristics of his reign. Again, this reading was done in the spirit of what might he expect if he were to take the throne, not if he would. So we stay within that spirit of opening to possibilities, instead of prediction. Nothing wrong with predictions, just that I like to emphasize free will and our ability to shift and co-create at every life’s turn.
What does Prince Charles need to know about becoming the King of the UK? (This is not a read of IF he would, but that what he needs to know IF he does)

Prince Charles needs to know that when it comes to becoming the King of the UK, he is among friends and support and goodwill. As suggested by his signifier card, 3 of Cups, he is well-liked and has a true emotional connection with friends and family – the British people in general. 11 Justice crosses his signifier, saying that the law simply kicks in to declare him as King, once the Queen passes. It is success and quite as-matter-of-fact when it comes to legitimacy. No surprises there. We see the Queen of Cups underneath him as his foundational card, signifying emotional support and nourishment from a mother figure, most likely Queen Elizabeth herself. The dramas of the relationship between mother and son may play out on the surface, but there is basic bond and tie between them. The Queen would not be unhappy with Charles’ ascension to the throne.
What crown’s Prince Charles, the 9 of Wands, is having been through fights and battles, supposedly with the monarchy itself, and now being hesitant to move forward in fear of encountering the same. Clarified by the 3 of Swords in the recent past position, we clearly see that there are remnants of some sort of heart break that lingers. He may still be feeling “out of it” or exhausted from the fights and/or from the painful memories. However, the classic interpretation for the 9 of Wands is that the querent is advised to keep going and to not give up. In the near future, we see 8 of Wands and things coming in quickly. The card suggests change and arising issues and projects to deal with faster than one can think. However, unlike the weary 9 of Wands, the 8 of Wands denote a sense of excitement as one receives the opportunities coming one’s way. This means that Prince Charles may be ushered into the position before he can blink, and things will happen fast once the ball starts rolling. He may not have the time to react but to just go with the flow and the legal procedures that simply need to happen. And ultimately this could be exciting for him.
In the ego-self position, we see the 8 of Pentacles. Prince Charles sees the throne as work, which is true, it IS what they do for a living as royals. And the simple interpretation of the card suggests that he’s got the skills and the discipline to do it well. He is actually good at what he does - being royalty and representing the monarchy. In his general environment, there is the 9 of Pentacles, suggesting wealth and prosperity all around him and his ability to inspire others to live in abundance, success, contentment, and empowerment. That is the general atmosphere he inspires, and that is how his environment sees him. As for his fears and hopes, his fear is fear itself as represented by 9 of Swords. The fear here is of the subconscious kind, the ones that may have no base in reality but originate from past stories and identification with self-limiting thoughts. It gnaws at one’s psyche and keeps one awake at night. There is a sense of being overly worried and projecting too negatively into the future. And probably because of those projections, we see that in the final outcome, he is still weighing out the pros and cons and trying to decide on which route to take with the 7 of Cups. In another light, he is perceiving that the throne comes with both rewards and caution as he ponders whether to accept the risk or walk away. As an outcome/advise card, he is actually encouraged to see both sides of the coin. There is no absolute good or absolute evil in the world. The point is having the clarity and intent to be able to move forward and flow with life itself.
I did pull another row of cards to see farther down, and it is actually a very nice progression.
Ace of Wands, 10 of Pentacles, 3 of Pentacles, and King of Cups.
[First draft stops here. Added writings from 9/9/2022 starts below.]
Ace of Wands in the future-self position says his inner pilot light would ignite for new passions and possibilities for the new position. To be sure, his reign would be different from that of Queen Elizabeth. There would be new ideas, new initiatives, and a freshness and willingness to carry out the renewal of the throne. Luckily, we see his environment supportive of his new projects in both enthusiasm and financial backing. In the Ace of Pentacles, he finds the financial ability to carry out his ideas. He himself also inspires financial confidence and attracts new money and investments for the new regime. In combination with the Ace of Wands, the Ace of Pentacles sees a potentially strong and fruitful start to King Charles’ rule.
In the progression for hope and fears, he shifts from the fear of the unknown to the hopes of partnership and teamwork. And given the appearance of successful projects and the auspices of financial support, he is likely to get it. Either way, with time, as he steps further into the role as King, he becomes the King of Cups, which is the counterpart to his mother, the Queen of Cups. What is tremendously moving here is that he retains the spirit of love and compassion that marked his mother’s reign*, even as he moves to make his own mark. We would continue to see him work in charity and humanitarian efforts, or at least have a strong stance in these matters as he manages the monarchy. Whether he is aware or not, he is able to use his humanitarian appeal to his advantage. And because of a certain emotional maturity, perhaps informed by the heartbreaks in his life, he is able to connect deeply and emotionally with his government and people. Not to say that the UK will never go through challenges under and with Charles, but that he would always be able to land at a place of peace and serenity even amid raging waters. The cards bode well for him and encourages him to dig deep into his vast reservoir of life experience and emotional wisdom, and know that he is able to weather through any storm that comes his way. He is more ready than he thinks. Keep the course.
*Note that these qualities are of Queen Elizabeth’s rule in spirit as known to Charles, and not necessarily in the appearance and tone of her reign to the general public.
Lastly, in writing this revised version I would like to pull four more cards from the Gaian deck to provide further insights from the perspective of life cycles. This is the part where we’re able to allow the querent to see a bigger picture beyond the question. What can King Charles expect as he prepares to take the throne?

We open with the 3 of Wands, a sense of return in business investments and looking forward to harvest. It’s the moment before IPO, product going to market, or the unveiling of new projects. It’s an exciting card and an exciting time for him. He is looking toward initiating fruitful projects. With 6 Lovers, he is choosing love over fear, as in not allowing the unknown to faze him, but to step into the enormous historical shoes left by his mother. In this context, there is a sense of stepping into a soulmate relationship with the throne. He is feeling a sense of love and soul alignment as he steps into the role. It’s a beautiful blossoming of who he is. In this new commitment he finally gets reflected in a way that allows him to be the greater version of himself. Ace of Fire appears again to signify a passion for new initiatives, new ideas, and new co-creative opportunities. A new drive has sparked within him to finally birth himself into this new era and herald new cycles for the royal family. We will see a side of him that we have not seen before. We see a new zest for life with a sense of a personal renaissance. It’s as if he’s been given a second incarnation within the same lifetime. The 4 of Earth appears next to signify his first priority as financial housekeeping and stabilizing the monarchy. There is sticking with conservatism here, meaning he will be retaining the overall structure of royal traditions in both accounting and social expectancy. So when it comes to the new initiatives, it would be done within the bounds of historical precedence, at least at the start.
I’ve drawn two more clarification cards to explain the contrast between the Ace of Fire and Four of Earth. We have 10 the Wheel and Four of Air. So timing-wise it is within natural cycle to renew and update the throne to maintain relevancy, but he will need time to incubate what that means exactly. So during the transition as he organizes his visions and plan for changes, his reign will look very much like the one he inherited. There will not be fast, immediately, or dramatic changes. At least for the first year or so, it would look like he is staying within the well-worn path, even though within him, he is ignited and excited for progress. As he gradually shifts direction, we will find out the nature of the reforms that will become the personal marks of King Charles III and his reign.
Namaste.