Inside King Charles III’s Health Issues

When you become the new monarch, you can expect the public to take a much greater interest in you. In the months leading up to King Charles III’s coronation, royal watchers and the British press had an obsession with the future King’s hands, which more often than not appeared to be painfully swollen.

Royal watchers first became intrigued by King Charles’ hands when he and Queen Consort Camilla attended a royal engagement in South London in 2021. During this visit, Charles was pulling a pint of beer, and the photographs showed off his swollen hands. Soon, “Charles’ sausage fingers” dominated Google’s most-searched terms in the U.K. This isn’t a recent issue for the King, however. He’s been dealing with it since at least 2012 when he jokingly referred to his swollen hands as “sausage fingers.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Chun Tang, M.D., said that the King’s swollen hands could have various underlying causes. The condition is referred to as dactylitis and could indicate that someone has bacterial infections, arthritis, inflammation, or even tuberculosis. “Other possibilities include high salt levels, allergic reactions, medicinal side effects, injury, and autoimmune diseases,” Tang explained.

Given Buckingham Palace’s track record with being straightforward about royal ailments, we likely won’t know the true cause of King Charles’ swollen hands anytime soon — or ever, for that matter.