Princess Margaret Had Fetal Alcohol Syndrome from Queen Mother’s Drinking?

A shocking new royal biography suggests Princess Margaret may have suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome — allegedly caused by the Queen Mother’s drinking during pregnancy.

Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Meryle Secrest makes the explosive claim in her upcoming book Princess Margaret and the Curse: An Inquiry into a Royal Life, set for release on September 9. The book delves deep into Margaret’s tumultuous life, speculating that her lifelong health and emotional struggles may have stemmed from an “invisible disability” passed on before birth.

Secrest points to Margaret’s mood swings, migraines, learning difficulties, and petite frame as potential symptoms. While the late royal didn’t display the classic facial features associated with fetal alcohol syndrome, the biography suggests her behavioral patterns closely mirror those seen in individuals diagnosed with the condition.

Fetal alcohol syndrome, first identified in 1973, occurs when alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman harms the developing fetus — often leading to physical and neurological issues that last a lifetime.

The Queen Mother, known for her love of alcohol throughout her life, reportedly refrained from drinking while pregnant with her first child, future Queen Elizabeth II. A 1925 letter quoted in the book reveals her writing to her husband: “The sight of wine simply turns me up! Isn’t it extraordinary! It will be a tragedy if I never recover my drinking powers.”

Margaret, born in 1930, arrived four years after her older sister. At the time, the Queen Mother was still the Duchess of York, and awareness around the dangers of drinking during pregnancy was virtually nonexistent.

The biography paints a portrait of a spirited but troubled royal. Margaret was often labeled “naughty,” “mischievous,” and even “provocative” by her own family and childhood caretakers. Known for her impulsivity and blunt honesty, she grew into a glamorous but controversial figure dubbed the “Royal Rebel.”

Her 1960 marriage to photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones (later Lord Snowdon) was one of the most high-profile royal unions of the time, but it quickly deteriorated amid mutual infidelities and emotional turmoil. Margaret reportedly suffered a nervous breakdown in 1974, and the couple divorced in 1978 — the first royal divorce in over a century.

Margaret’s later years were plagued by health issues, including multiple strokes. She died in 2002 at the age of 71.

While Secrest relies on the work of fetal alcohol syndrome pioneer Dr. Kenneth Jones and comparisons to other case studies, she stops short of declaring a formal diagnosis. And to be clear, no medical evidence has ever confirmed that Princess Margaret had the condition.

Still, the book raises provocative questions about how much of Margaret’s infamous volatility and lifelong struggles were truly personal — and how much may have been the result of circumstances beyond her control.

Princess Margaret and the Curse: An Inquiry into a Royal Life will be released in the U.S. on September 9.