King Charles has been pictured with swollen fingers which he himself is said to have described as 'sausages' since 2012, but has never publicly explained the reason. The then Prince Charles joked about his "sausage fingers" in 2012 after getting off a long haul flight to Australia.
The Queen even remarked on the 'large' size of Charles's hands when he was a boy.
The painful-looking swelling has been seen at many public appearances since then, including famously in 2021 when he was seen pulling a pint with swollen hands.
Now a doctor has given insight into the potential cause. According to GP Chun Tang, Medical Director at Pall Mall Medical in Manchester, there are many reasons why this happens.
Dr Tang told the Daily Mail: "Often puffy fingers are a symptom of water retention which can be caused by numerous health conditions. "This condition arises due to inflammation and can be a result of arthritis, multiple bacterial infections or even TB.
"Other possibilities include high salt levels, allergic reactions, medicinal side effects, injury and autoimmune disease."
There's even a technical term for his 'sausage fingers' – dactylitis – which is a medical term for severe swelling that affects your fingers and toes.
In a letter to his friend after his son, Prince William was born, he reportedly wrote, as quoted in Charles, The Man Who Will Be King by Howard Hodgson: "I can't tell you how excited and proud I am. He really does look surprisingly appetising and has sausage fingers just like mine."
His late mother, the Queen, also noted the size of Charles' hands, reportedly writing a letter to her music teacher after he was born: "They are rather large, but with fine long fingers quite unlike mine and certainly unlike his father's. It will be interesting to see what they become."
