King Charles' 'Sausage Fingers': What is the mystery behind monarch's swollen hands

On Saturday, Britons witnessed the coronation of King Charles III, however, it was his fingers that attracted attention and concern among many. On May 6, the former Prince of Wales ascended the British throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II who was the country’s longest-serving monarch. Despite the glorious robes and all the royal jewels, Charle’s red and swollen fingers grabbed the attention of the fans of the royal family, The Independent UK reported. 

The new British monarch’s fingers first grabbed eyeballs after he succeeded his mother, following her death. When the new King signed the accession, his fingers appeared excessively red and swollen. According to The Independent UK, Charles’ images of taking over the throne prompted speculations from various members of the medical community. The community gave a name to the issue as well. As per the British news outlet, many believed that Charles was suffering from a condition called 'Oedema'. 

What is Oedema?

According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) Oedema is characterised as a condition in which a person's arms, hands, ankles and other parts of the body get swollen. Health experts believe that the swelling is caused by fluid retention in these areas. As per the website of NHS, the condition is caused for several reasons, including standing or sitting in the same position for too long, eating too much salty food, being overweight or taking certain medications like blood pressure medicines, contraceptive pills, hormone therapy, antidepressants or steroids.

King Charles' Fingers: A curious topic for UK

While Charles’ fingers have grabbed the attention of netizens recently, his hands were a topic of discussion since the day he was born. According to The Mirror, the new monarch’s late mother, Queen Elizabeth II mentioned Charles' swollen hands in a letter to his former music teacher. “The baby is very sweet and we are enormously proud of him. He has an interesting pair of hands for a baby,” the queen wrote in the letter. “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. I still find it hard to believe I have a baby of my own!” the Queen exclaimed. 

In 2018, the then Duke of Cambridge and Charles’ son Prince William made a lighthearted reference to Charles’ fingers on the occasion of Charles’ 70th birthday. During the speech, William urged the King to stop using his “sausage fingers” to write letters. William asked the king to spend more time with his grandchildren instead, The Independent UK reported. The remarks by the now-Prince of Wales attracted a lot of attention online and since then Charles’ fingers were called the 'sausage fingers'.