Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew H.
Of course, titles of nobility don't really work for the US (which is, in any case, prohibited from granting them by perhaps the least litigated part of the US Constitution.) But the prohibition only applies to titles of *nobility.* Non-noble titles are okay. So what we need is a non-noble, but American-sounding title. And I think I have the perfect solution.
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To be strictly correct, a knighthood is not a grant of nobility. A knight is not a nobleman. ("Baron" is the lowest rank of nobility.)
Americans can be - and are - granted honourary knighthoods by the British monarch, but they aren't allowed to call themselves "Sir" (or "Dame", for a woman). So Bill Gates is "Bill Gates, KBE", but not "Sir Bill".