By Matthew Acton

Copyright radaronline

Princess Margaret may have suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome brought on by the Queen Mother’s heavy drinking during pregnancy, according to a new biography that claimed the princess endured a hidden disability throughout her life.

RadarOnline.com can reveal Meryle Secrest, 95, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, has examined the late Queen Elizabeth’s sister Margaret’s struggles in her new book Princess Margaret and the Curse.Princess Margaret May Have Had Fetal Alcohol SyndromeThe author suggests while the princess did not display the condition’s most obvious facial markers, her volatile personality and lifelong health issues are consistent with children exposed to alcohol in the womb.

“Margaret showed classic signs of fetal alcohol syndrome – impulsive behavior, difficulty with learning, stunted growth and sudden mood swings,” Secrest said.

“These are traits we now understand as part of the syndrome, though in her day they were simply dismissed as her being spoiled or difficult.”

Fetal alcohol syndrome, first identified in the 1970s, is caused by alcohol exposure during pregnancy.

It can impair learning and memory, reduce emotional control and, in some cases, lead to nervous breakdowns.

Margaret died in 2002 aged 72 after years of ill health, including multiple strokes.Queen Mother Joked About Wine During PregnancyAccounts from former palace staff and courtiers describe the Queen Mother’s legendary appetite for drink, including her fondness for gin and Dubonnet in the mornings, wine at lunch, port in the afternoons and martinis at what she called the “magic hour” of 6pm.

Secrest argues such habits may well have begun when she was expecting her second child in 1930.

“The Queen Mother was never advised against drinking,” one royal expert said.

“At that time, doctors did not understand the risks. But looking back, it is clear Margaret’s development was markedly different from her sister Elizabeth.”

In letters written during her pregnancy with Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother admitted she had gone off wine, joking to her then-fiancé, the future George VI, that it would be a “tragedy if I never recover my drinking powers.”Mischief And Nervous Breakdown Mark Margaret’s LifeNo similar letters survive from her pregnancy with Margaret, leaving historians to speculate whether her consumption then was heavier at that time.

Secrest points to incidents throughout Margaret’s life as evidence of traits associated with the syndrome.

As a child she was called “mischievous and provocative” by her nurses, once sinking a boat during a rowing lesson by removing the plug.

She was also known to blurt out awkward truths at court functions and later suffered a nervous breakdown in 1974.

Her physical stature was also striking.Experts Say FAS Explains Margaret’s Life StrugglesAt 5ft 1in, Margaret was notably shorter than her sister and many biographers have remarked on her fragile health.

She displayed what Secrest calls “poor awareness of danger,” recalling accounts of her setting her hair on fire at a family gathering without appearing alarmed.

Dr Kenneth Jones, who identified fetal alcohol syndrome in 1973, is cited in the book as providing the clinical framework through which Margaret’s life is reassessed.

A source said: “The evidence is circumstantial, but it is compelling.

“Margaret’s story and troubles make sense when you look at it through this lens.”