The National:

OH the embarrassment if King Charles’s “sausage fingers” get in the way of his coronation.

King Charles has been pictured with swollen hands and feet many times, particularly after long flights or when travelling to hot countries.

While Charles has suffered from the condition for years now - even referring to them as his “sausage fingers” in 2012 – conversation around the issue has become more widespread after he ascended the throne following the death of his mother.

After all, the Archbishop of Canterbury has to place the coronation ring on the fourth finger of his right hand during the ceremony on May 6.

Charles’s puffy digits are the source of many a sleepless night in royal circles. “Officials don’t want any problems,” a source told the Daily Mail.

READ MORE: King Charles coronation: Most Britons ‘not interested’, YouGov poll says

Images of his “sausage fingers” have spread far and wide, at one point being the seventh most searched term on Google in the UK. Many have asked what the issue could be.

Charles has never confirmed the reason for the swelling, but doctors note it could be due to a number of health concerns, water retention, or simply old age.

The royal has had large hands from a young age according to the Queen, who wrote about it in a letter after Charles was born.

She said: "The baby is very sweet and we are enormously proud of him. He has an interesting pair of hands for a baby.

“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.”

An impediment to his coronation, perhaps, and surely of huge concern to Scotland ...