Queen's purple hands spark further health concerns

Queen Elizabeth II has returned to "light duties" after pulling out of several engagements over mystery health concerns.

Royal watchers expressed concerns about the colour of her hands. Photo / Getty Images (cropped)

The 95-year-old monarch met with General Sir Nick Carter, the outgoing Chief of the Defence Staff, at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, local time, after cancelling four engagements in the space of a month on doctor's orders.

It was understood she recently suffered a sprained back, however she was taken to hospital last month under unknown circumstances.

While it was a pleasant surprise to see a colourfully-dressed Queen return to work, royal watchers noted one detail in the official press photos that sparked concern.

Her Majesty's hands appear to be unusually purple in the images, which were taken in the castle's Oak Room.

Queen Elizabeth II meeting with General Sir Nick Carter, Chief of the Defence Staff, during an audience in the Oak Room at Windsor Castle. Photo / Getty Images

According to health experts, her purple hands could be down to Raynaud's phenomenon, a problem that causes decreased blood flow to the fingers, per Mayo Clinic.

The non profit medical centre claims that the health issue causes blood vessels in the hands and feet to overreact to cold temperatures or stress.

Prince Charles yesterday weighed into concerns for the Queen's health, telling media she was "all right", though was not finding things as "easy as it used to be".

The Prince of Wales, 73, was meeting with business leaders at the Royal Scientific Society in Amman, Jordan, with his wife Camilla.

"She's all right, thank you very much. Once you get to 95, it's not quite as easy as it used to be. It's bad enough at 73," he said.

It's not the first time the Queen has been seen with purple hands.

In November 2019, a then 92-year-old Queen posed for a photo with King Abdullah and Queen Noor of Jordan, where her bare hands appeared to be significantly bruised.

The images made international headlines, though Buckingham Palace never commented on any health speculation.

The Queen has been forced to pull out of a string of high-profile duties over the past few weeks, most recently having missed Remembrance Sunday at The Cenotaph – which was only the seventh time she has skipped the service during her decades-long reign.

She also pulled out of a recent trip to Northern Ireland and the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.