The Royal Scandal: 5 Shocking Claims Linking Princess Margaret’s Troubles To Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

For decades, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, was the most glamorous and controversial figure in the British Royal Family. Her volatile personality, rebellious love life, and lifelong struggles with health and mood swings were often dismissed as the eccentricities of a privileged royal. However, a recent and highly controversial biography has introduced a shocking new theory into the public discourse, suggesting that the root of her lifelong issues may have been Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), a condition caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. This claim, which has resurfaced in discussions as recently as December 2025, forces a re-examination of the Queen Mother’s lifestyle and the hidden struggles of the royal family. This provocative assertion, put forth by Pulitzer Prize-nominated biographer Meryle Secrest, links the Queen Mother's known heavy social drinking during the 1930s—a time when the dangers of drinking while pregnant were completely unknown—to Princess Margaret's physical and behavioral traits. While the claim remains purely speculative and is based on retrospective analysis, it provides a startling, if unproven, medical context for the Princess's often-tumultuous life.

Princess Margaret: A Biographical Profile

Princess Margaret Rose was a figure of immense public fascination, known for her sharp wit, beauty, and tragic love affairs. Her life was marked by both great glamour and deep personal turmoil, making her a symbol of the conflict between duty and desire within the monarchy.

• Full Name: Princess Margaret Rose of York (later Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon)
• Born: August 21, 1930, at Glamis Castle, Scotland
• Died: February 9, 2002 (aged 71), in London, England
• Parents: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
• Sibling: Queen Elizabeth II (older sister)
• Spouse: Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon (m. 1960; div. 1978)
• Children: David Armstrong-Jones, 2nd Earl of Snowdon, and Lady Sarah Chatto
• Key Health Issues: A lifelong heavy smoker, she suffered from hepatitis (1984), a mild stroke (1998), and a series of subsequent strokes that led to her death.

The Queen Mother’s Habits and the FAS Hypothesis

The controversial claim is rooted in the widely documented lifestyle of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. She was known to be a heavy social drinker, with a particular fondness for gin and tonic before lunch, wine with meals, and champagne in the evening. It is crucial to note that Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) was not clinically identified and named until 1973. In the 1930s, when Princess Margaret was born, there was no medical consensus or public awareness regarding the dangers of consuming alcohol during pregnancy. Therefore, any harm caused by the Queen Mother's drinking would have been entirely unintentional and an unfortunate consequence of the medical knowledge of the era. Biographer Meryle Secrest suggests that the Queen Mother's consistent, heavy alcohol consumption during her pregnancy with Margaret may have resulted in the Princess developing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), with FAS being the most severe end of that spectrum. This theory attempts to provide a biological explanation for Margaret’s lifelong behavioral and emotional difficulties.

5 Behavioral and Physical Traits Linked to the FAS Claim

While Princess Margaret did not exhibit the distinctive, tell-tale facial features typically associated with classic Fetal Alcohol Syndrome—such as a smooth philtrum or thin upper lip—Secrest’s biography focuses on a range of neurobehavioral and developmental issues. These are the five key traits cited as evidence for the FAS hypothesis:

1. Persistent and Severe Mood Swings

Princess Margaret was infamous for her mercurial temperament. Her moods were described as swinging wildly from charming and witty to demanding, imperious, and deeply melancholic. This emotional volatility and difficulty with regulating affect are classic neurobehavioral symptoms of FASD. The biography suggests her unpredictable behavior and emotional extremes align with the brain damage caused by prenatal alcohol exposure.

2. Significant Difficulty with Formal Learning

Reports from her childhood indicate that Princess Margaret struggled significantly with formal education, particularly with learning to write. Her sister, Elizabeth (the future Queen), was a diligent and proficient student, but Margaret showed a distinct difficulty in this area. Learning disabilities and poor academic performance are common secondary disabilities in individuals with FASD, often stemming from impaired cognitive functions.

3. Impulsive and Reckless Behavior

Margaret's life was characterized by a series of impulsive decisions and a general disregard for royal protocol, leading to what many saw as a self-destructive streak. Her highly publicized affair with the divorced Group Captain Peter Townsend, and later her turbulent marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones, demonstrated a pattern of following her own desires despite the immense political and personal cost. Impulsive behavior, poor judgment, and difficulty understanding consequences are frequently reported symptoms of FASD.

4. Stunted Physical Growth

The biography notes that Princess Margaret was noticeably petite. While this is not a definitive symptom, growth deficiency, including low birth weight and short stature, is a physical marker commonly associated with FAS. The claim points to her comparatively smaller size as a potential physical manifestation of the prenatal damage.

5. Lifelong Struggles with Self-Medication and Alcohol

Tragically, Princess Margaret herself developed a significant dependence on cigarettes and alcohol throughout her adult life. While this is a complex issue with many psychological and environmental factors, there is a known link between individuals with FASD and a higher likelihood of substance abuse issues later in life. Her own struggles with drinking, which she reportedly quit after contracting hepatitis in 1984, are seen by some as a tragic echo of her prenatal environment.

The Controversy: Why the Claim Remains Unproven

The hypothesis that Princess Margaret suffered from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a striking example of historical and medical speculation. While the behavioral traits cited—mood swings, impulsivity, and learning difficulties—do align with the non-physical symptoms of FASD, the theory is not without its critics. Firstly, a posthumous diagnosis of any neurodevelopmental disorder, especially one without definitive physical markers, is highly speculative. Many of the behaviors attributed to FASD could also be explained by the intense psychological pressure of being the 'spare heir' in the royal family, the trauma of her father's early death, and the extraordinary constraints placed on her personal life. Secondly, the lack of the classic facial features is a significant point of contention. While it is possible to have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) without the facial features (a diagnosis known as Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder, or ARND), the absence of these markers makes the diagnosis far less certain. Ultimately, the claim about Princess Margaret and FAS will likely remain a controversial and unproven theory. It serves as a stark reminder of the devastating, often invisible, effects of alcohol on an unborn child and provides a new, albeit speculative, lens through which to view the complicated, often troubled, life of the Royal Family’s most captivating rebel.