A medical expert has explained why he believes the Queen's hands have appeared to look purple in recent pictures.
The 95-year-old has recently spent time in hospital for tests and pulled out of Remembrance Sunday due to a strained back.
So when the image of the royal carrying out a face-to-face audience at Windsor Castle with General Sir Nick Carter was first seen yesterday, it was seen as a sign her health was improving.
But The Mirror reports her hands were noticeably purple raising questions about any potential cause, beyond her advancing years.
Dr Jay Verma of the Shakespeare Medical Centre told the Metro: “It might be Raynaud’s phenomenon or just really cold hands.
"The purple is due to deoxygenated blood."
Purple hands can be caused by “lack of circulation, frail skin, exposed veins, bruising, a leakage of blood to the tissue beneath the skin", the medical expert added.
The NHS describes Raynaud's, one of Dr Verma's theories for the colour of Her Majesty's hands, as a condition affecting circulation that arises in some situations, such as when "you're cold, anxious or stressed".
The Queen had not been seen at in-person event in more than a month since she hosted a reception for the global investment summit at Windsor on Tuesday, October 19.
The next day it was announced that the monarch was taking medical advice to rest.
It was later revealed she had a night at the King Edward VII hospital for “preliminary investigations".
She also pulled out of a two-day planned visit to Northern Ireland, a reception to welcome world leaders to the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, and the Church of England General Synod on Tuesday.
She held a face-to-face audience last week with Boris Johnson but was not pictured during the meeting.
Sir Nick is stepping down as chief of defence staff at the end of this month.
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