King Charles' 'sausage fingers' explained as royal returns to work
The monarch himself has poked fun at his 'sausage fingers' in the past.
It's been a year since King Charles' stunned the world with his cancer diagnosis. Just weeks later, daughter-in-law Kate Middleton announced her own shock diagnosis, setting into motion a tumultuous few months for the Royal Family.
Since April, Charles has been returning to public duties after a brief period out of the spotlight for treatment. The King, who ascended the throne in September 2022, may have had a difficult first couple of years on the throne, but he coped with things with a "determination to be as public as he was able".
And with Kate also back in the public eye after her own period of recovery, things are looking up for the monarchy.
Yesterday, Charles shared a moving video in honour of World Cancer Day.
The clip, shared on the Royal Family's social media channels, featured a handful of celebrities who have also been battling cancer, including Scots cycling legend Chris Hoy, who revealed last year he is terminally ill.
Charles praised NHS staff after his own healthcare experiences recently, with an accompanying post reading: "This World Cancer Day, we are sending love to all those navigating a cancer diagnosis – as well as the incredible doctors, nurses, charities and families who work tirelessly to support them."
The King has poked fun at his "sausage fingers" in a new BBC documentary (Image: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Another less serious health condition of King Charles has been a talking point in the past - as have his 'sausage fingers' which are a symptom - and the monarch himself has poked fun at the condition previously in a documentary.
The King was filmed laughing about his fingers alongside his son, Prince William, during rehearsals for his 2022 coronation as part of the BBC documentary Charles III: The Coronation Year, as we previously reported.
In a clip from the BBC documentary, the Prince of Wales was seen closing a small clasp that held a lavish robe around his father, and made the monarch laugh when he said: "On the day, that's not going to go in." In response, King Charles joked back: "No, you haven't got sausage fingers like mine."
In the past, many have questioned why Charles' hands are so swollen and GP Chun Tang, Medical Director at Pall Mall Medical in Manchester, has since shed some light on the subject as he previously listed the many reasons why this may have happened.
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."
King Charles news
The technical term for 'sausage fingers' is dactylitis which is a medical term for severe swelling that affects your fingers and toes.
After King Charles welcomed his son Prince William, he reportedly penned a letter to his friend, quoted in Charles, The Man Who Will Be King by Howard Hodgson, saying: "I can't tell you how excited and proud I am. He really does look surprisingly appetising and has sausage fingers just like mine."
The Queen also noted the size of Charles' hands previously, 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."
During his momentous Coronation, questions about the King's swollen digits resurfaced, as some wondered whether the monarch was only wearing one glove as part of the ceremony owing to his hands. It turns out, however, that this was simply part of tradition. The King has never confirmed the cause of his swollen fingers.
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