What Is Up With The Fingers Of King Charles III?

After Queen Elizabeth II's death, the future of the United Kingdom and the royal scepter of the realm have fallen into the hands of King Charles III. But eagle-eyed online posters have noticed something rather peculiar about those hands: namely, the size of the fingers on them. It has been a joke for decades that Charles Windsor has sausages for fingers, but what does it mean and how did it become a meme? Let's find out.

How Long Have His Sausage Fingers Been A Thing?

When Charles was born in 1948, his mother reported in a letter that he had an "interesting pair of hands for a baby." Later on, Charles himself confessed to having large hands, and said that his son William (next in line for the throne) also had "sausage fingers." So, it seems that for as long as the ten fingers have been attached to the body of Charles, they have been noticeably larger than average.

Twitter records satirists and regular subjects joking about the then-Prince's fingers since at least 2011. Along with funny bits like his "I want to be a tampon" comment infamously recorded by the press, his fingers form a piece of the tapestry of mockery that has enveloped Charles III for much of his life.

When Did The Sausage Fingers Become A Meme?

The fingers became a meme recently mostly because of a 2019 photograph, taken during a state visit, which pictured the fingers prominently. Posters made jokes around the fingers based off the picture, with many editing in actual sausages.

After his mother's death in September of 2022 and Charles' accession to the throne, a resurgence of sausage finger memes occurred, as many expressed concern about the new King's health. Others used the fingers as a way to criticize or belittle both the man and the monarchy.

Perhaps it is a little cruel to make fun of an old man for something he can't control, but when that old man is a King, many seem to believe that gives them the license to be a little harsh.

Why Do People Post The Sausage Fingers Of King Charles III?

The idea of a King in the 21st century is, for many people, a little ridiculous. Believing that Charles III is chosen by God to lead a nation, or is somehow better than other human beings, is not founded on any rational ground. Photos of his unusual and perhaps disturbing fingers drive this point home better than any words can.

In English conceptions of the state, there is also a long tradition of associating the physical body of a monarch with the country itself. As Ernst Kantorowicz argues in The King's Two Bodies a classic, of the medieval studies field, ideas of the state and "body politic" come directly from the notion that the King's physical body is in a spiritual union with the body of the state. In the Middle Ages, people believed that the health and appearance of the King's body reflected the health and attractiveness of the kingdom (which to them literally was his body, similar to how the bread and wine at communion are thought to be Christ's body).

This idea has deep roots in English culture and literature, with examples ranging from Shakespeare (Richard III's hunchback status reflects a deformation in the English state) to John Donne (Devotions Upon An Emergent Occasion plays extensively with body/state metaphors) to Arthurian myths about the Fisher King (whose frailty and castration lead to famine and despair in his kingdom). The response to the large and possibly unhealthy fingers of Charles III could be seen as a modern extension of this older anxiety about the King's unhealthy body reflecting an unhealthy state, especially given the economic and political difficulties the United Kingdom is currently facing.

For the full history of the King Charles III Sausage Fingers meme and even more memes, check out our entry.