Why did King Charles have “sausage” fingers inflated? And what did the king himself say about his swollen hands?
In his memoir Spur, Prince Harry discusses King Charles’ chronic neck and back pain, which he credits in part to his father’s old polo injuries.
But keen royal observers may worry about another health problem that the monarch had once mocked – his swollen fingers.
The King himself called them “sausage fingers” in a letter he wrote to a friend when describing his newborn son, Prince William.
I can’t tell you how excited and proud I am. It really does look surprisingly appetizing and has sausage fingers like mine,” he wrote, as reported on Howard Hodgson’s Charles, the man to be owned.
The discussion of ‘sausage fingers’ spread widely on social media, at one time the seventh most searched term on Google in the UK, with many wondering what the problem was.
Keen royal watchers may be concerned about a possible health problem that King Charles has previously mocked – his swollen fingers.
Was King Charles’ hand always swollen?
King Charles has been depicted with swollen hands and feet several times, most noticeably after long periods spent flying or traveling to hot countries.
While the monarch suffered from the condition for several years, word of mouth about the issue became more prevalent when he ascended the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
When Charles became king at the age of 73, pictures of his swollen fingers — which he jokingly called “sausage fingers” in 2012 while touring Australia after a long flight — spread across the internet.
King has had nasty swollen fingers on a number of occasions over the years, jokingly referring to them as a ‘sausage’ in 2012
Charles’s fingers and toes were noticeably red and swollen on the first day of his royal tour to India in 2019.
He was also seen with painfully swollen hands and feet during the first day of his royal tour of India in 2019 when he took off his shoes to enter a Sikh temple in New Delhi.
Observers also noted the royal’s swollen hands while sipping on a pint at The Prince of Wales pub in Clapham’s Old Town in 2021.
The Queen had large hands from a young age – a quality the Queen wrote about in a letter to her music teacher after Charles was born.
She wrote: ‘The baby is so cute and we are so proud of him. He has interesting hands for a baby.
It’s rather large, but with long, smooth fingers quite unlike mine and certainly unlike his father’s. It will be interesting to see what they become of.
Why does Charles have “sausage” fingers?
And while royal fans have expressed concern about the appearance of the monarch’s hands, he hasn’t confirmed the cause of the swelling.
Depending on the doctor, swollen fingers can be caused by a number of health issues, or it may be a result of water retention, or simply aging.
It can be responsible for many conditions including edema or arthritis. Other causes could be high blood pressure or a diet high in salt.
Edema is a condition in which the body begins to retain fluid in the extremities, causing them to swell – and it can also occur in the fingers.
Royal watchers noticed King Charles’ fingers swollen as he sipped on a pint at The Prince of Wales pub in Clapham’s old town in 2021.
Men are less likely than women to develop edema. This is because the female hormone progesterone tends to cause this condition, leaving some women with swollen ankles shortly before their period.
Elderly people develop this disorder if they sit for long periods of time.
However, it can be a result of arthritis, which is a common condition in people over the age of 60 and in people with the infection Thumb joint and finger joints.
The fingers usually become stiff, painful, and swollen and although medications can help relieve the pain, the swelling can remain.
