King Charles III’s Health Under Scrutiny After Photos of Swollen Hands Surface Online

After the sudden passing of Queen Elizabeth at 96 years old, royal fans have grown increasingly concerned about the health of the newly appointed King Charles III.

Photos of the new monarch's red and swollen hands have resurfaced online, prompting speculation that he may be suffering from an undisclosed health condition.

Although King Charles III has reportedly suffered from swollen hands for years, having once described them as “sausage fingers” in 2012 after a long trip to Australia, a British doctor recently suggested his condition may be a result of old age or water retention.

Dr Gareth Nye explained that edema is a condition where the body starts to retain fluids in the limbs, causing them to swell.

This condition normally affects the legs and ankles but can also affect the fingers.

Dr Nye added that to determine if this is the cause, pressing the swollen area for about 15 seconds would cause a depression in the area.

King Charles has reportedly been photographed with swollen hands and fingers numerous times over the years, and Dr Nye also suggested the condition may be a result of 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.

Fingers usually become stiff, painful, and swollen, and although medication can help with the pain, the swelling can remain.

As previously reported, Queen Elizabeth passed away suddenly yet peacefully on Thursday in Balmoral, Scotland.

In the months and weeks leading up to her passing, the late Queen had been suffering a series of mobility issues and other alleged health concerns.

On Wednesday, one day before Her Majesty's death at 96 years old, royal fans became concerned about Elizabeth's health after a photo showed the Queen suffering from bruised blue hands when meeting with Liz Truss, Britain's new prime minister.

In an elderly woman like her, bruising that's not the result of trauma points to the loss of clotting component and indicates a blood cancer, like leukemia or lymphoma, longevity expert Dr Gabriel Merkin said regarding the Queen's condition.

Leukemia kills because it leaves you defenseless against germs and cancer cells, Dr Merkin added.

It also causes your body to produce fewer red blood cells, which carry oxygen to the heart and brain, leaving you anemic.

This can also cause clotting and heart failure.

Queen Elizabeth was placed under medical supervision early Thursday morning, and Buckingham Palace announced her death Thursday afternoon.

The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral, according to Buckingham Palace's statement.

The King and the Queen consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.

Charles was immediately appointed as King, and the United Kingdom has been in a period of mourning ever since the news of the Queen's passing was confirmed late last week.