ROYAL FAMILY NEWSQueen Elizabeth’s 'Naughty' and 'Mischievous' Sister Princess Margaret May Have Suffered From Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Author Claims
One author suggested Princess Margaret suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome.
Oct. 13 2026, Published 11:08 a.m. ET
Queen Elizabeth's younger sister, Princess Margaret, possibly had fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) due to the Queen Mother frequently drinking during her life and pregnancy.
According to author Meryle Secrest's book, Princess Margaret and the Curse: An Inquiry Into a Royal Life, the late Countess of Snowdon suffered with the “invisible disability."
Princess Margaret Had 'Mood Swings' and 'Stunted Growth'
The Queen Mother reportedly drank frequently.
While the princess — who died at the age of 71 in 2002 — did not have “the syndrome’s telltale smooth lip philtrum and small eyes,” Secrest penned, she did have other characteristics an individual with FAS would typically show.
Margaret reportedly endured “characteristic mood swings, stunted growth, difficulties learning how to write, and painful migraines." She also had a tendency to misbehave as a child, had a hard time regulating her emotions and also stood at just 5'1".
Her family and her nurses even found her to be "naughty," as well as "mischievous and provocative."
The Queen Mother Often Enjoyed Gin and Martini Drinks
Queen Elizabeth may not have suffered with FAS, according to Meryle Secrest's book.
Secrest doesn't allege if Elizabeth also experienced the same ailment. FAS is described as a lifelong condition present in a child that is a result from a mother ingesting alcohol during her pregnancy.
The child can then develop disabilities relating to behavior, learning, thinking and distinct physical characteristics.
According to a former equerry, the Queen Mother often enjoyed cups of gin and Dubonnet during the day, and martinis in the evening after 6 p.m.
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Princess Margaret died in 2002.
“It is likely that the young Queen Mother would not have been advised to avoid alcohol during her pregnancy with Margaret,” the biography noted.
Letters from the Queen Mother around the time of her pregnancy with Elizabeth in 1925 stated she was not a fan of drinking wine. “It will be a tragedy if I never recover my drinking powers,” she wrote to her husband, King George VI, at the time.
Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth Shared a Close Sisterly Bond
Princess Margaret was described by her family as 'mischievous.'
Margaret and Elizabeth — who passed away in 2022 at the age of 96 after 70 years on the throne — had a close sisterly relationship.
Craig Brown wrote in his 2017 book, 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, the two women had a strong bond despite being polar opposites.
“Elizabeth was organized, Margaret artistic; Elizabeth discreet, Margaret attention-seeking; Elizabeth dutiful, Margaret disobedient; Elizabeth disciplined, Margaret wild,” Brown said.
