King Charles' health history after hospital observation – from 'sausage fingers' to cancer blow
Buckingham Palace announced King Charles returned to hospital to treat temporary side effects of his cancer treatment - here, the Daily Star looks back at the monarch's medical woes
King Charles returned to hospital after experiencing “temporary side effects” as part of his continuing medical treatment for cancer, Buckingham Palace has said.
On Thursday morning, he attended the London Clinic, where he was treated for an enlarged prostate in January 2024.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said the King has now returned to Clarence House but has received medical advice to reschedule his planned engagements for Friday. The King was due to meet ambassadors in audiences at Buckingham Palace on Thursday afternoon, but these were postponed.
The statement read: “Following scheduled and ongoing medical treatment for cancer this morning, the King experienced temporary side effects that required a short period of observation in hospital."
“His Majesty’s afternoon engagements were therefore postponed. His Majesty has now returned to Clarence House and as a precautionary measure, acting on medical advice, tomorrow’s diary programme will also be rescheduled.
“His Majesty would like to send his apologies to all those who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.”
Here’s a history of his health from “sausage fingers” to his cancer diagnosis:
‘Undisclosed cancer’
King Chales was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February 2024.
After undergoing treatment out of the public eye, he returned to public-facing duties in April while still undergoing weekly treatment.
'Chronic pain'
It was previously revealed by Prince Harry in his book Spare that his father suffered chronic "neck and back pain", most likely due to injuries sustained during polo bouts.
A slipped disc in 1989 was worsened by a repeat injury two years later at the Royal Ascot. It prompted King Charles to only play the sport for charitable events, with doctors warning his condition would worsen if he continued playing competitively.
According to the Daily Mail, King Charles' trademark walk with his hands clasped behind his back is said to be a way of easing back pain.
'Sausage fingers'
And then of course there is the monarch's so-called sausage fingers. A GP previously alleged the King was suffering from "dactylitis".
GP Chun Tang, Medical Director at Pall Mall Medical, said: "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 diseases."
The King has never confirmed the actual cause of his sausage fingers, although is said to have had large, almost swollen hands since he was a kid. Even the late Queen Elizabeth II noted the size of his fingers in a diary entry from around the time of his birth.
Growth removed and hernia drama
A non-cancerous growth was removed from Charles' face in 2008, a minor procedure which left the King sporting a small bandage on his face for a number of weeks. The Queen had endured a similar growth removal from her face in 2003.
The King was also left with a nasty hernia in March 2003 while gardening. Operations at the time forced him to cancel a skiing holiday, although it may have been for the best as the King's decades of skiing prior to his hernia left him with damage to his knees.
And then there was a sawdust encounter that left his cornea scratched. A nasty bit of damage to his eye was dealt at Highgrove when the royal sawed off a branch, affecting his vision for several days.
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