The utterly hilarious remark the Queen made of King Charles when he was first born

King Charles turns 75 years old today - and we're still thinking about this funny comment the Queen made of him

king charles
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The Queen made this totally hilarious remark of King Charles when he was first born, and we're reflecting on the cheeky quote on the King's 75th birthday. 

In honour of King Charles 75th birthday, we reminisce on all of the memorable moments from his life - his coronation, the birth of his sons, and so forth. We also, however, are remembering this unearthed and rather hilarious comment that Queen Elizabeth reportedly made of the King when he was first born. 

Described as a "splendid baby," King Charles was born in Buckingham Palace 75 years ago today, 14 November, 1948. Upon his arrival into the world, he was the first royal birth to take place at Buckingham Palace in 62 years, marking it a very historic occasion. 

In the week following King Charles' birth, Queen Elizabeth told her music teacher that Charles had an "interesting pair of hands for a baby" - whatever that means. 

king charles birthday

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The King's hands, apparently, have been a topic of discussion since the day of his birth, with some even referring to his hands as having "sausage fingers."

According to the Mirror, the Queen said this of Charles' hands as 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. I still find it hard to believe I have a baby of my own!"

His "rather large" fingers are not unbeknownst to him, however - he recognizes the trait as well. In a biography about the King titled Charles, The Man Who Will Be King by Howard Hodgson the then-Prince wrote a letter to a friend of Prince William's birth, recalling that William has the same "sausage fingers" as his father. 

"I can’t tell you how excited and proud I am. He really does look surprisingly appetising and has sausage fingers just like mine," said Charles in the letter. 


Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed by Robert Jobson | £9.23 at Amazon

Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed by Robert Jobson | £9.23 at Amazon

Released ahead of His Majesty's coronation, royal author Robert Jobson reflects upon King Charles as both a man and as Britain's monarch. He considers his motivations, driving passions and how his values will go on to influence his approach to his reign.

Charles' hands have been quite the topic of conversation as of late as well, with folks consistently wondering why the King's hands are so swollen. 

king charles hands

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Some have suggested that the King's hand swelling could be caused by a medical condition called oedema (according to the National Health Service (NHS), oedema is characterised by swelling in the arms, hands, ankles, feet, and/or, legs) - although this rumour is still unfounded. 

Madeline Merinuk
US Lifestyle News Writer

Madeline Merinuk is woman&home's US lifestyle news writer, covering celebrity, entertainment, fashion, and beauty news.

She graduated in 2021 with a B.A. in Journalism from Hofstra University, winning multiple student journalism awards, including a National Hearst Award, during her time there. After graduating, she worked at today.com, the digital site for the Today Show, where she wrote pop culture news and interviewed big-name personalities like Emily Ratajkowski, Haley Lu Richardson, Emma Corrin, and more.

Her personal interests, in no particular order, are: cheese, Joni Mitchell, reading, hot yoga, traveling, having multiple chapsticks in every handbag at all times, and dancing to ABBA songs as if she were in the Mamma Mia movies.