The Queen has been seen with what appears to be a bruised hand during a meeting with Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland.
The monarch held an audience today with Scottish First Minister at the Palace of Holyroodhouse as part of her annual week in Edinburgh.
The two women looked happy to see each other with Ms Sturgeon gifting Her Majesty a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label whiskey as well as a tartan throw.
As the Queen, who stood without a walking stick held out her arm to shake hands with Ms Sturgeon, a purple mark could be seen on the 96-year-old's right hand.
It's not the first time that the Queen has been snapped with noticeably purple hands. Royal watchers also spotted them last November during an audience at Windsor Castle with former Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter.
She also also had marked hands in 2019 in an official photograph of her meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah and Queen Rania and their son, Crown Prince Hussein.
Dr Jay Verma of the Shakespeare Medical Centre told the Metro last year: “It might be Raynaud’s phenomenon or just really cold hands.
"The purple is due to deoxygenated blood.”
Purple hands can be caused by “lack of circulation, frail skin, exposed veins, bruising, a leakage of blood to the tissue beneath the skin", the medical expert added.
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The Queen's meeting with Ms Sturgeon, her third engagement in as many days, comes just hours after the First Minister unveiled plans to hold a second independence referendum on October 19, 2023.
The Scottish First Minister said Scots will be asked the same question they responded to in the 2014 vote: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
She has asked the Supreme Court to rule on whether her government can hold a non-binding referendum without needing the Prime Minister's permission.
The First Minister stated yesterday: “The Lord Advocate has agreed to make a reference of the provisions in the Bill to the Supreme Court.”
Ms Sturgeon said this process was under way “as I speak” saying that this “will be filed with the Supreme Court this afternoon”.
SNP policy is to retain the Queen as head of state if Scotland becomes independent.
After her meeting with the First Minister, Her Majesty also held an audience with the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament Alison Johnstone.
The Queen's appearance today came after she travelled to Scotland on Monday with other royals for their annual week of engagements in the country.
The monarch, 96, attended historic Ceremony of the Keys – the traditional opener to Holyrood week for the Royals - accompanied by her youngest son Prince Edward and wife Sophie Wessex.
Dressed in a powder blue silk wool coat and dress by Stewart Parvin, paired with a hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, the Queen stood with her walking stick as she was symbolically offered the keys to the city by Edinburgh Lord Provost Robert Aldridge.
Meanwhile yesterday, she attended the armed forces act of loyalty parade at the Palace of Holyroodhouse to mark her Platinum Jubilee north of the border.
The monarch, dressed in a heather-coloured silk wool dress and coat with a matching hat, all by Angela Kelly, waved to the crowds as she stood with the help of her walking stick.
