King Charles sparks fan frenzy with 'rough' skin when shaking hands on tour
PA
Charles and Camilla embarked on a two-day tour of the Channel Islands where they met many members of the public
King Charles has “rough” skin, according to royal fans who shook his hands whilst he was visiting Guernsey.
The King and Queen embarked on a two-day tour of the Channel Islands across Monday and Tuesday, where they met members of the public who cheered them on and waved English flags in celebration of their arrival.
The poor weather did not deter many islanders from turning out to welcome the King and Queen to Jersey on Monday, before the King and Queen travelled to Guernsey the following day. The royal couple were not able to go to Alderney and Sark due to “time restraints”.
As part of their two-day tour, they witnessed a gun salute, attended a military parade, and even gave a breed of goat the title of Royal Golden Guernsey Goat.
However, despite all the festivities, some well-wishers were distracted by King Charles' hands and gave them an unusual compliment.
Guernsey resident Jacquie Gordon, 56, said that she thought the monarch presented himself as a “proper worker” due to his “rough” hands.
She said: “I shook the King's hand and it was rough, like a proper worker who does things with his hands.”
Another royal fan, Christine Morton, 75, commented: “Yes, he has a proper handshake, which I like.”
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The King and Queen embarked on a two-day tour of the Channel Islands across Monday and Tuesday, where they met members of the public
PAIt is not the first time that King Charles’ hands have come under scrutiny. They have long been the topic of conversation, with the monarch possessing quite thick fingers.
He described his own fingers as resembling “sausage hands” after getting off a long haul flight to Australia in 2012.
His own mother also commented on his large fingers. The late monarch supposedly wrote a letter to her music teacher after his birth in 1948.
It said: “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.”
It is not known what causes Charles' enlarged fingers but the symptom is also linked to the secondary disease of Dactylitis, which can be caused by a number of conditions and infections, including psoriatic arthritis.
His enlarged hands could be for several other reasons, such as temporary fluid retention, a sudden change in temperature, and high blood pressure.