Prince Andrew Steals Easter Spotlight For All The Wrong Reasons (& King Charles Can Relate)

Despite the fact that King Charles III was forced to sit apart from his family at Easter, the royal holiday celebrations commenced. Surprisingly, though, Charles wasn't the only royal family member whose health concerns were brought into question as a result of their presence at the Easter Sunday church service. Prince Andrew, Duke of York, attended the Easter Mattins Service at Windsor Castle, and a photograph that was taken of him at the event has royal fans raising an eyebrow. The duke's hands bore a striking resemblance to that of his brother, Charles, and some folks believe that this may be cause for concern.

The unique look of Charles' swollen hands has been sending alarm bells ringing for years. Now, in the wake of his cancer diagnosis, folks are paying more attention to the king's health than ever. According to oncologist, Chadi Nabhan M.D., MBA, Charles is looking well these days despite royal fans' concern over his hands.  Yet, seeing similarities in Andrew's hands during Sunday's Easter celebration proves that this unusual condition may be running in the royal family.

A photo taken at Windsor Castle on March 31 shows Prince Andrew smiling as he watches his sister, Princess Anne shake hands with a cardinal. Her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, also looked on. Despite the happy looks on the faces of those pictured, many fans' attention goes straight to Andrew's hands. 

In the photograph, the duke's hands are clasped together and swollen. While they don't look quite as oversized and red as Charles' hands, it still looks as though Andrew may be dealing with the same affliction as his brother. So, what causes someone's hands to look like this, and what does it mean that it is happening to Andrew? 

Well, the medical director at Pall Mall Medical in Manchester, GP Chun Tang, told the Daily Mail that there are several causes of "sausage fingers." He explained, "Often puffy fingers are a symptom of water retention which can be caused by numerous health conditions," adding, "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." So, while the cause in this case is unclear and requires a blood test to determine, it's not out of the question that it could be a result of genetics, and it isn't necessarily a cause for major alarm.