Yahoo News King Charles' 'sausage fingers' back in the spotlight as he returns to work after cancer diagnosis
King Charles has returned to his Royal engagements after a brief hiatus due to his cancer diagnosis and treatment.
As he steps back into the limelight, attention is once again drawn to his notably swollen digits, often humorously referred to as "sausage fingers", a term the King himself has used in jest.
His condition was highlighted during a light-hearted moment captured in the BBC documentary 'Charles III: The Coronation Year', reported by The Mirror.
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In a scene from the documentary, Prince William is seen struggling with a clasp on his father's ceremonial attire, prompting him to remark, "On the day, that's not going to go in."
To which King Charles quipped in return, "No, you haven't got sausage fingers like mine.", reports the Daily Record.
The reasons behind the King's puffy hands have been a topic of public curiosity, and Dr. Chun Tang, Medical Director at Pall Mall Medical in Manchester, has offered explanations for the swelling in the past.
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."
Severe swelling affecting fingers and toes is medically termed as dactylitis, colloquially known as 'sausage fingers'.
Upon the arrival of his son Prince William, King Charles reportedly expressed his excitement in a letter to a confidant, quoted in Howard Hodgson's book, Charles, The Man Who Will Be King: "I can't tell you how excited and proud I am. He really does look surprisingly appetising and has sausage fingers just like mine."
Even the Queen remarked upon Charles' large hands, purportedly writing in a letter to her music tutor after his birth: "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."
Around his Coronation, inquiries into the King's swollen digits recurred, with speculation about whether the monarch was wearing only one glove for the ceremony because of his hand condition. However, it surfaced that this was merely part of tradition.
The reason behind the King's swollen fingers remains unconfirmed by him.
