22 December 2023 , 00:02
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A doctor has explained the medical reason behind King Charles' swollen "sausage fingers", after the monarch himself poked fun at his condition in a new documentary.
The King was filmed joking about his fingers alongside his son, Prince William, during rehearsals for his coronation earlier this year as part of the BBC documentary Charles III: The Coronation Year, which will air on Boxing Day.
In the footage, 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."
Many have questioned His Majesty's swollen hands in the past, 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.
King Charles has joked about his 'sausage' fingers (Getty Images)
He's never publicly spoken about the reason (Getty Images)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."
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There's even a technical term for his 'sausage fingers' – dactylitis – which is a medical term for severe swelling that affects your fingers and toes.
King Charles has a seemingly lighthearted approach to his hands' condition. In a letter to his friend after his son, Prince William, was born he reportedly wrote, as quoted in Charles, The Man Who Will Be King by Howard Hodgson: "I can't tell you how excited and proud I am. He really does look surprisingly appetising and has sausage fingers just like mine."
His late mother, the Queen, also noted the size of Charles' hands, 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.
Charles III: The Coronation Year will be screened on Boxing Day at 6.50pm on BBC One and Player.