“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.
OK, I don’t feel too much like a stick in the mud.
I enjoyed the Opening Ceremonies overall. I thought it was well done. I don’t know if we missed it or not, but I was kind of surprised there was none of the “New Wave” of British Music from the early 1980s in that montage. Likely NBC just cut to commercial.