The results of medical tests carried out on Queen Elizabeth's sister, Princess Margaret (70), suggest she may have suffered a second stroke, Buckingham Palace said yesterday.
The Princess, who was not seen in public during the British royal family's traditional attendance at Christmas church services, may have had a minor stroke or she could be suffering from follow-on effects of a stroke which she suffered in February, 1998, while on holiday on Mustique.
A statement from Buckingham Palace confirmed the Princess's health was a matter of concern, but insisted her condition was stable. The statement said: "Evaluation of a range of test results by Princess Margaret's doctors, conducted against the background of her previous stroke in 1998, has suggested that Princess Margaret may recently have had a further minor stroke or be suffering from the follow-on effects of the earlier event."
Princess Margaret, who has two children, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto, is being cared for by medical staff at the royal Norfolk estate of Sandringham.
A doctor was first called to the estate on New Year's Eve after the Princess had complained of feeling unwell and speculation yesterday suggested her family and aides may have confused her illness with tiredness.
A heavy smoker and prone to suffering from migraines, Princess Margaret has survived periods of serious ill health during her life. In 1985 she had part of her lung removed as a result of her smoking, but for many years after it did not stop her enjoying her trademark cigarettes held in a long, black cigarette holder.