King Charles’s so-called ‘sausage fingers’ have drawn much attention from royal watchers over the years – and the monarch himself has even joked about them.
Particular attention was brought to the King’s swollen digits when he ascended the throne and the eyes of the world were upon him.
And a new BBC documentary about the King, set to air on Boxing Day, reveals a comical moment when Charles jokes with his eldest son William about his swollen hands, while they were rehearsing for the Coronation ceremony.
As more people than ever were watching royal events following the death of Queen Elizabeth and the ascension of Charles, some who would not consider themselves royal watchers began to question the new monarch’s hands.
The fascination spanned far and wide, with even a cheeky butcher in New Zealand offering ‘King Charles Sausage Fingers’ to customers around the time of the Coronation in May.
But for more seasoned royal fans, the King’s puffy digits are nothing new and have been noted by other members of the royal family for years – dating right back to his childhood…
King Charles’s so-called ‘sausage fingers’ have been the subject of conversation among the royal family for decades
Queen Elizabeth writes about Charles’s hands
King Charles’s sausage fingers were the subject of discussion among the royal family right from birth as the late Queen mentioned his ‘large hands’ in a letter to her music teacher after he was born
King Charles is pictured in a portrait taken for his ninth birthday in 1957 – with his right hand proudly on display
While the monarch’s hands have been thrust into the spotlight since he ascended the throne, they have long been a noticeable feature on King Charles’s body – and were even mentioned when he was a child.
His late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, famously noted that her firstborn had large digits when he was a mere baby.
And his large hands were a feature the Queen described in a letter to her music teacher after Charles had been born.
She wrote: ‘The baby is very sweet and we are enormously proud of him. He has an interesting pair of hands for a baby.
‘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.’
Charles comments on Prince William’s hands
As King Charles reached adulthood he commented on his eldest son, Prince William’s hands – saying he had ‘sausage fingers just like mine’
The monarch raises a hand to his chin to pose for a portrait taken at Highgrove House, his favourite residence, in August 1982
After the birth of his first son, Prince William, the King revealed to friends that he was bursting with pride at becoming a father.
In particular, he drew attention to one way in which his first-born resembled him.
When the now-monarch wrote a letter to a friend about his newborn son, Prince William, he mentioned his puffy hands.
‘I can’t tell you how excited and proud I am,’ he wrote, as quoted in Charles, The Man Who Will Be King by Howard Hodgson.
‘He really does look surprisingly appetising and has sausage fingers just like mine.’
King Charles pictured playing polo and putting his ever-so-slightly swollen hand to his face. Pictured in the 1990s
Joking about his fingers after a flight to Australia
During a royal tour of Australia in 2012, the King joked about his ‘sausage fingers’ shortly after he arrived.
Charles and Camilla visited the country as part of the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, which also saw them visit Papa New Guinea.
During the tour, Charles’s fingers appeared red and swollen on many of his public outings – but he was the first to joke about them.
Doctor reveals why Charles’s fingers sometimes swell
King Charles pictured sipping on a pint in a Dorset pub in 2002
Days after King Charles ascended the throne in September 2022, a doctor revealed some of the potential reasons why his hands appear swollen from time to time.
Dr Gareth Nye told the Daily Star: ‘Oedema is a condition where the body starts to retain fluids in the limbs, normally the legs and ankles but also in the fingers, which causes them to swell.’
‘To see if this is the cause, pressing the swollen area for about 15 seconds would cause a depression in the area.’
Women are more prone to get oedema than men because their a female hormone, progesterone, tends to cause the condition, leaving some women with puffy ankles just before their period.
The king (pictured) has garnered a huge amount of attention since ascending the throne for his self-described ‘sausage fingers’
Older people can develop the disorder if they sit for long periods of time.
King Charles has been pictured with swollen hands and feet many times, noticeably after long periods spent flying or travelling to hot countries.
Another potential reason for the ‘sausage fingers,’ is arthritis.
Arthritis – another common condition in the over 60s. It often affects three main areas in the hand – the thumb joint or either joints in the fingers,’ he said.
‘Fingers usually become stiff, painful and swollen and although medication can help with the pain, the swelling can remain.’
Other causes could be a high salt diet or specific medications like those made for high blood pressure.
GP Chun Tang, Medical Director at Pall Mall Medical in Manchester added: ‘Sausage fingers are officially known as dactylitis.
‘This condition arises due to inflammation and can be a result of arthritis, multiple bacterial infections or even TB.’
Royal fans say Charles was ‘bullied’ out of showing his hands
King Charles has been accused of hiding his hands in photos to avoid being mocked for his ‘sausage fingers’ in new portraits released just days ahead of the coronation this week
Ahead of his Coronation this year, royal fans noted they were seeing King Charles’s hands less than before.
A portrait released by Buckingham Palace of King Charles with Queen Camilla showed the monarch beaming in a pinstripe suit – but his hands were nowhere to be seen and were placed behind his back.
Responding to the snap, royal watchers joked on social media that the monarch had been ‘bullied’ out of showing his hands in photos after the ‘sausage fingers’ had gone viral around the time he ascended the throne.
‘Show us his hands cowards,’ one Twitter user commented under the portraits.
A second joked: ‘We’re never seeing them again brother.’
‘I want to abolish the monarchy but I do still feel bad that we have gang bullied a grown man into never showing his hands again,’ another quipped.
One person also added: ‘I can’t believe Twitter has bullied the literal king into never showing his hands.’
Coronation chipolatas take off!
Royal fans have opted for sausage-finger sandwiches to celebrate the historic coronation of King Charles III on Saturday
Avon’s Butchery in Auckland, New Zealand announced on Wednesday that they were now selling ‘King Charles Sausage Fingers’ in reference to the new-King’s enlarged fingers
Quiche was the official dish of the Coronation but many royal fans preferred to opt for sausage-finger sandwiches to celebrate the historic event.
One royal fan stayed up all night preparing a delicacy with a selection of bangers, tomato buttons and even a cheese signet ring.
‘Just woke up to this absolute beauty mum spent most of the night creating, pretty sure its the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,’ a proud son joked.
Meanwhile, Avon’s Butchery in Auckland took the opportunity to poke fun at the King by launching a ‘King Charles sausage fingers’ variety of banger ahead of the Coronation.
The butchery first posted a photo of King Charles III but removed his fingers from the image and jokingly replaced them with actual sausages.
‘I’m going to hell,’ the caption read.
Charles jokes with William during Coronation rehearsals
Prince William is pictured with King Charles during the King’s Coronation rehearsals at Westminster Abbey in London
A BBC documentary following King Charles during the Coronation year reveals the moment King Charles joked with his son Prince William about his puffy digits.
Practising the moment he hands King Charles his ‘Stole Royal’, an embroidered band of cloth which symbolises the sacred nature of kingship, in the run-up to May’s Coronation, Prince William jokes about how fiddly the catch is and groans: ‘On the day it’s not going to go in, is it?’
‘No,’ says the King, giggling; ‘[But] you haven’t got sausage fingers like mine!’
The documentary will air on BBC One on Boxing Day.