“Game of Thrones” wasn’t the first time they destroyed the Hand of the King.
Amid widespread speculation, a doctor weighs in on the oft-derided photos of King Charles III’s alleged swollen red “sausage fingers” that are currently going viral on Twitter. the Royal Jimmy Dean-esque figures ridiculed for years, but recently exploded after the monarch ascended the throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
“A reminder that these are King Charles III’s fingers,” read one of the many “Chuck roasts,” along with a photo of the royal family’s hands looks crimson and bloated like Hellboy’s.
Another troll joked“Whoever can pull that ring off his finger will become the next king like Arthur with that sword in the stone.”
“I swear to god if I see Prince Charles’ fingers on this site one more time,” snapped another Twitter wit alongside a photo of bright red hot dogs. Interestingly, the king referred to himself as “sausage fingers” in a letter to a friend before Prince William was born.
dr. Gareth Nye, a senior lecturer at the University of Chester, has since weighed in on what King Charles’s vermilion gloves could do for his health.
The doc explained that while “many conditions” could cause bloated fingers, some conditions were more likely than others, such as edema or fluid retention.
“Oedema is a condition where the body starts to retain fluid in the limbs, normally the legs and ankles but also the fingers, causing them to swell,” Dr. Nye to the Daily Star. “Oedema is a common condition and mainly affects people over the age of 65 because the ability to regulate fluid is limited.”
He added: “To see if this is the cause, pressing the swollen area for about 15 seconds would cause a depression in the area.”
Another possibility, according to Dr. Nye, has arthritis, which he explained “often affects three main areas in the hand — the thumb joint or both joints in the fingers.”
“Fingers usually become stiff, painful and swollen and while medication can help with the pain, the swelling can persist,” he added. Other less common causes of swelling include a high-salt diet and medications such as blood pressure pills and steroids, the doctor said.
dr. However, Nye assured the public that there is nothing to be alarmed about, explaining: “There are no immediate health problems that can be seen from swollen fingers and this is most likely a sign of his age.”
And thankfully, the Hand of the King seems to be working just fine: moments before signing the Proclamation of Accession – marking his official ascension to the throne of the British Commonwealth – the monarch used his “sausage fingers” to frantically gesture to aides to to clear the desk where he would write his name on the documents.
Just days before the Queen’s death, she was seen with a disturbing black bruise on her hand greeting new British Prime Minister Liz Truss. This raised concerns that the monarch was suffering from a circulation problem, although the cause of her discolored grippers has yet to be revealed.