It really isn’t much more than a courteous thing or just what they are known as.
We still refer to the guy that got hit on the head with an apple as “sir Issac Newton”, and the guy that trained our soldiers at Valley Forge as Baron von Steuben.
Even our founders, like John Adams meeting George III as ambassador to the UK, used such titles.
IMO Baron von Steuben (who was not even a Baron) is different than “My Lord Baron”. Just like Queen Elizabeth is different than “Her Majesty”. Words matter and they signify deference to one’s “better” when you use such title.
I have no problem with Queen Elizabeth. I do have a serious problem with Her Majesty unless the person saying it is English.
But that is a pet peeve.
Ugh, McCartney sounds worse than the cover band.
“Even our founders, like John Adams meeting George III as ambassador to the UK, used such titles.”
That is when they addressed them personally. This is not the same. Speaking of them “here” as if they are our “royalty” is nonsense, especially in the here and now instead of dead people.
I call him Isaac Newton and it’s good enough. I also say “von Steuben” - and in fact his title was false. We also say “Lord Stirling” because the man insisted he was a lord by heritage and liked it as a sort of name and that’s what our forefathers got used to calling him. But calling him William Alexander is just as correct. These last became like regular “names” for those people.