NEED TO KNOW
- An upcoming biography reportedly claims that Princess Margaret had fetal alcohol syndrome
- Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother was known to be a heavy social drinker
- Author Meryle Secrest does not claim that the Queen Mother didn’t drink while pregnant with Princess Margaret’s elder sister, Queen Elizabeth
A new biography has claimed that Princess Margaret had fetal alcohol syndrome due to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother’s drinking.
According to a report published in The Telegraph on July 30, Meryle Secrest makes the claim in the upcoming book Princess Margaret and the Curse: An Inquiry into a Royal Life, which will be published on Sept. 9.
Secrest speculates in the text that Queen Elizabeth’s younger sister suffered from an “invisible disability” due to the condition, influencing her personality and affecting the course of her life.
The Mayo Clinic defines fetal alcohol syndrome as a condition resulting from a child’s exposure to alcohol during the mother’s pregnancy, which can cause the child to have behavioral challenges and physical disabilities that are lifelong.
According to The Telegraph, Secrest writes that while Princess Margaret did not have the facial features typical of fetal alcohol syndrome, her mood swings, small stature, learning difficulties and migraines may have been symptoms of the condition.
The Queen Mother was known to be a heavy social drinker, and fetal alcohol syndrome was not identified until 1973, creating conjecture that she would not have been advised against drinking while pregnant.
Princess Margaret was born in 1930, the second child of the Queen Mother, who was then known as the Duchess of York, and the future King George VI.
The future Queen Elizabeth was 4 when her sister was born, but the Queen Mother was allegedly turned off by alcohol during her pregnancy with Elizabeth.
“The sight of wine simply turns me up! Isn’t it extraordinary! It will be a tragedy if I never recover my drinking powers,” the Queen Mother wrote in a 1925 letter to her husband, the Telegraph said.
The outlet reported that Secrest, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, does not claim that the late Queen Elizabeth experienced any condition in the upcoming biography about her sister.
Princess Margaret died in 2002 at age 71 following a string of health problems, including a series of strokes. The Queen’s sister had lived a vibrant life and was nicknamed the “Royal Rebel” for her glamorous lifestyle, turbulent love life and vivacious personality that contrasted with her sister’s no-nonsense approach to royal duty and the crown.
Secrest’s upcoming text on Princess Margret claims that her family and nurses thought she was “naughty” and “mischievous and provocative,” known to be impulsive and “blurt out the truth.”
Princess Margaret married photographer Anthony Armstrong-Jones in 1960, but their romance became rocky amid allegations of extramarital affairs by both parties. She reportedly suffered a nervous breakdown in 1974, and they later divorced in 1978.
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Secrest, an American author, reportedly cites the work of Dr. Kenneth Jones, who is credited with identifying fetal alcohol syndrome, in her upcoming text on Princess Margaret and compares Margaret’s life, through existing written sources, to those who have navigated the condition.
However, there is no evidence that the princess had fetal alcohol syndrome.
Princess Margaret and the Curse: An Inquiry into a Royal Life will be published in the U.S. on Sept. 9.
Read the full article here
