"Her decline was very evident to the public, and so it attracted some public interest and some public sympathy," she said.
There was a great deal of concern among the court of King George III as his mental health failed in his final years, for example. "It would have been clear to the public that Queen Victoria was growing older and having these health issues," Ms Harris said. "That was awfully embarrassing, if you remember," said entertainer Chris Biggins on the GB News breakfast show.But disability advocates say such language reinforces the belief that disabilities are something to be hidden from public view.