The coronation of King Charles is just a few weeks away. He will enjoy a big concert at Windsor the following day in addition to celebrating his special day with his wife, Queen Camilla, and the rest of the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.
A king must naturally maintain good health because his position necessitates extensive travel in addition to numerous responsibilities and engagements. In the recent years, Charles’ “sausage fingers” have drawn the most attention despite his history of back issues and minor injuries (caused by his time playing polo).
Regarding the reason for King Charles’ swollen fingers, there have been numerous theories. They are so prevalent that even Queen Elizabeth once mentioned them.
Charles may have a “systemic condition,” according to a recent argument made by an expert. However, that isn’t due to his swollen fingers; rather, it is due to his “sausage toes”.
In recent years, rumors about King Charles’ fingers have caused royal fans to worry that he might have a medical condition that isn’t known to the general public.
The King reportedly had oversized fingers for years despite images of his red, swollen hands going viral on social media. Even in jest, he referred to them as his “sausage fingers” in 2012 while on a visit to Australia. ”.
Charles’ fingers do indeed seem to have remained that way for a very long time. According to rumors, Charles penned a letter to a friend in the 1980s about the birth of Prince William.
“I can’t even begin to express how happy and proud I am. The King Charles biography Charles, The Man Who Will Be King quotes the monarch as saying, “He really does look surprisingly appetizing and has sausage fingers just like mine.
So, throughout the King’s life, his hands have been a topic of conversation. Even the late Queen Elizabeth once remarked that her firstborn son’s hands were “interesting” when referring to them.
”.
“The baby is very adorable, and we are so proud of him. He has interesting hands for a baby,” Elizabeth wrote in a letter.
Unlike mine and most definitely unlike his father’s, they are rather large but have fine, long fingers. It will be interesting to see what they develop into. I still have a hard time believing I’m a parent.
Dr. Gareth Nye expressed his own worries about King Charles’ swollen fingers last year.
While “loads of conditions” could cause swollen fingers, some were more likely than others, according to Nye, Senior Lecturer at the University of Chester, who spoke with the Daily Star.
Oedema or fluid retention was mentioned at the time as a potential explanation.
According to Nye, oedema is a condition in which the body begins to retain fluid in the limbs, typically the legs and ankles but also the fingers, which makes them swell. “Oedema is a common condition that primarily affects people over 65 because their ability to control fluids is compromised. ”.
What can be inferred about King Charles’ health from his fingers?
“Pressing the swollen area for about 15 seconds would result in a depression in the area, which would allow us to determine if this is the cause, the doctor continued.
”.
The physician added that King Charles’ swollen fingers might also be a symptom of arthritis, a common condition in people over 60. The thumb joint or either joint in the fingers are the three main areas of the hand that are frequently affected.
Nye continued by saying that factors that could contribute to swelling include a high-salt diet and blood pressure medications. He claims that King Charles’ “sausage fingers,” despite all the potential causes, are not a sign of a serious health problem for the recently crowned British monarch.
Swollen fingers are probably a sign of old age and don’t necessarily indicate any immediate health issues, according to Dr. Gareth Nye.
King Charles’ alleged “sausage fingers” came up again when fresh images of the monarch surfaced. ”.
According to Nye, the monarch’s condition has changed and might even get worse, according to an interview with The Daily Star.
The king’s fingers have had this appearance for a while, but Nye disproved two of his earlier hypotheses about the king’s condition.
King Charles’ “sausage fingers” have undergone a new update.
“Oedema, where fluid leaks out of the blood and stays within the tissues nearby, leading to a swollen appearance, was one of the previous suggestions for the possible causes that were not related to Charles’ individual anatomy,” Nye said.
Nye asserted that the oedema is no longer probable because he thinks King Charles’ fingers have gotten worse. Furthermore, he rejects the idea that gout, a prevalent type of inflammatory arthritis, is to blame.
Although gout can affect the hands and is a condition in which tiny crystals of uric acid form in the space between joints, causing pain, redness, and swelling, Nye explained that this condition typically affects individual joints.
The images show the entire hand to be affected, which conflicts with the gout diagnosis”.
“King Charles’ hands-related arthritis, which appears to be getting worse over time, is the most likely cause of this, as it was six months ago. Although extremely common in people over 60, arthritis can be extremely debilitating and can restrict movement in the affected joints. ”.
Nye continued, “The condition will eventually worsen over time even though treatments and medications can help. This is especially true for joints that are used more frequently, of which we can all agree the hand is one. Dactylitis, which is once more most frequently seen in people with arthritis, is the condition most frequently linked to swollen fingers. ”.
King Charles has “sausage toes.”.
Nye added that it’s important to note that dactylitis isn’t a life-threatening condition and that the swelling persists even when the underlying inflammation is controlled, which is likely what we see here.
Nye also thinks King Charles is aware of the reason for his swollen fingers.
It doesn’t mean the condition should be ignored, and I’m sure King Charles is fully aware of the cause of finger issues, the author told The Daily Star, “even though this condition doesn’t make me believe anything sinister is underlying the King.”.
King Charles rarely wears gloves, so any variations in the length of the monarch’s fingers are simple to spot.
He may not only have “sausage syndrome” in his fingers, it transpires.
”.
According to Nye, it has been revealed that King Charles also has swollen toes. Only a few photographs of Charles have been taken that show him with his feet bare. One of them dates back to November of 2019 when he visited a Sikh temple in New Delhi, India. It turns out, though, that his feet have been swollen for quite some time; in fact, there was evidence to support this back in 2006.
The conditions “significantly differ in terms of whole body health,” claims Nye. He explained to the Daily Star that Charles’s leg swelling, which seems to be on both sides, “indicates a more systemic condition. ”.
Dr. Nye added that whether the swelling is acute or chronic will determine its underlying cause. This refers to whether it manifests suddenly and only lasts a short time or whether it takes time to develop gradually. The latter appears to be more likely in Charles’ situation.
According to Dr. Dot Nye, “the majority of women will be aware of leg and foot swelling during pregnancy, particularly during episodes of preeclampsia, and that still remains one of the leading causes.”. “Clearly, we need to change our perspective in this situation because acute swelling may be a sign of kidney disease or deep vein thrombosis.
“Common in patients over 65.”.
We may be looking at cardiovascular problems like heart failure, kidney disease, or liver disease if this is a chronic condition. ”.
Dr. Nye continued, “However, it may simply be due to either/both continuous leg bending while sitting for extended periods of time, which is common in older patients who sit for extended periods, or prolonged standing because older people have a harder time returning blood from the feet and legs when they are standing due to normal changes in the cardiovascular system. ”.
He concluded: “We may additionally be seeing arthritis impacting in the ankle which would also cause swelling like this. ”.
King Charles hasn’t experienced any serious health problems over the years, if reports are to be believed. One incident in the 1980s, however, almost killed the then-prince.
In Prince Harry’s memoir Spare – released earlier this year – the prince revealed many things about the royals, especially his father. When Charles learned that his mother, Princess Diana, had passed away, the Duke of Sussex alleged that he didn’t even receive a hug from him. Harry claimed that while he and his brother William were grieving, their father was largely absent.
In Spare, Harry was frank in his discussion of his father. He also violated royal protocol when he said that King Charles was in “constant pain” as a result of an earlier polo accident.
Polo-related wounds to King Charles.
Polo has long been considered a royal sport. Of course, chasing a ball while mounted on a horse can be extremely dangerous.
Charles suffered two fractures in his right arm in a polo accident in 1991 in which he was kicked by a horse. It didn’t, though, and the arm had to be reset three months later.
Three years later, when he fell off a horse in Windsor, he made his back injury worse.
Harry stated that the exercises that his physiotherapist had prescribed were the only thing that worked to relieve Pa’s ongoing back and neck pain.
The Duke of Sussex noted: “Old polo injuries, mostly” when describing how King Charles injured his back. Harry discussed the terrifying incident in which King Charles was hurt during a polo match in a passage from Spare.
“As a young child, I had witnessed Pa suffer a [hard] fall, the horse bucking, and the earth smacking and engulfing him. Harry recalled, “A quick-thinking player jumped from his horse and saved Pa’s life.
I remembered thinking, ‘Why’s Pa snoring?’ and then hearing someone shout, “He’s swallowed his tongue!”.
Charles, however, continued to have bad luck while riding.
After falling off his horse while fox hunting in 1998, the prince sustained a broken rib. Charles allegedly broke a bone in his shoulder in 2021 while on another hunt after falling off another horse.
Even so, it wasn’t over yet!
after falling off the horse, briefly lost consciousness.
Later that year, while playing polo, he fell off his horse and had to spend the night in the hospital.
The incident happened while Charles was taking part in a charity game in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. He briefly lost consciousness but luckily didn’t break any bones in the fall.
“He was unconscious for a very brief period, was taken to the neighborhood hospital, and is now being transferred to Cheltenham General Hospital where he will stay for a precautionary overnight stay,” spokesman Patrick Harrison said at the time.
