Doctor explains cause of Queen Elizabeth II's purplish hands

Queen Elizabeth II sparked further health concerns when she appeared with purplish hands during her first in-person engagement since pulling out of the Festival of Remembrance on Sunday.

The 95-year old carried out a face-to-face audience at Windsor Castle with General Sir Nick Carter, the Chief of the Defence Staff, on Wednesday. Her appearance was a relief for some because it could mean a sign of good health. But there were also others who shared their concern when they saw her hands were noticeably purple.

According to Dr. Jay Verma of the Shakespeare Medical Centre, there are many reasons why they could have appeared in that colour. He told Metro UK that it "might be Raynauld's phenomenon or just really cold hands." It happens in cold temperatures wherein the blood vessels and arteries become narrow, thus restricting blood flow and reducing oxygen circulation to the heart.

Raynaud's phenomenon is said to be common and does not pose serious health concerns. It helps by keeping the hands warm and it goes away after a few hours. The purple could also be "due to deoxygenated blood."

Meanwhile, Dr. Giuseppe Aragona, GP and Online Doctor for Prescription Doctor explained several reasons why Queen Elizabeth II had purple hands. He said, "There could be a few different reasons for why the Queen's hands are so purple: a lack of circulation, frail skin, exposed veins, bruising, a leakage of blood to the tissue beneath the skin causing the colour." He added that it could also be Cyanosis.

"Blood which has a normal amount of oxygen is a deep red and means your skin is its normal colour, however low oxygenated blood is bluer which causes your skin to have a purple hue," Dr. Aragona explained adding, "It is known that Cyanosis can develop quicker if the person has suffered a minor health problem, so this could be linked to her recent injury."

The British monarch was forced to pull out of Sunday's Festival of Remembrance at the last minute because of a sprained back. Queen Elizabeth II also appeared with a purplish blemish on her hands when she welcomed the royals from Jordan to London in 2019.