# What Urban Myths seem to hold on for years or decades even when disproven **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 12, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852 "2026-06-12T19:02:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 21
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/401 "2026-07-14T18:34:26Z")
FWIW, if you went to England and asked who the King of England was, I suspect you’d get most people saying Charles III. If you then told them that he’s not, he’s the King of the United Kingdom, not England, I doubt a high proportion of people would care about the distinction. It’s not a myth so much as a disagreement over whether a semantic distinction is important; same as Princess Diana, that is what she was called most of the time (or Princess Di, to fit better on the headlines). It’s reasonable to use the name someone normally goes by IMO, even if it isn’t their official title \[1\]. Let’s face it, Charlie’s full list of [titles and honours](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_titles_and_honours_of_Charles_III) is a little hard to take seriously. * * * 1. Fairly sure Count Binface isn’t actually legally a Count ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/402 "2026-07-14T18:42:13Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > Let’s face it, Charlie’s full list of [titles and honours](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_titles_and_honours_of_Charles_III) is a little hard to take seriously. > _Let us humbly beseech Almighty God to bless with long life, health and honour, and all worldly happiness the Most High, Most Mighty and Most Excellent Monarch, our Sovereign Lord, Charles III, now, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter_ Note that the word “King” isnt used at all, so the same pendants who say Charles isnt King of England can claim his isnt King at all! 🙀 🙄 ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/403 "2026-07-14T18:45:13Z")
Well I didn’t vote for ya! ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/404 "2026-07-14T18:46:18Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Filbert](#): > > > > Let’s face it, Charlie’s full list of [titles and honours](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_titles_and_honours_of_Charles_III) is a little hard to take seriously. > > > _Let us humbly beseech Almighty God to bless with long life, health and honour, and all worldly happiness the Most High, Most Mighty and Most Excellent Monarch, our Sovereign Lord, Charles III, now, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories King, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter_ > > Note that the word “King” isnt used at all, so the same pendants who say Charles isnt King of England can claim his isnt King at all! 🙀 🙄 You must have missed it, then: “Charles III…by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories **King** , Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.” ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/405 "2026-07-14T18:47:02Z")
> [@robby](#): > > You must have missed it, then: “Charles III…by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of His other Realms and Territories **King** , Oops I did miss that. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/406 "2026-07-14T18:50:15Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > Well I didn’t vote for ya! You don’t vote for kings ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/407 "2026-07-14T18:54:31Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > You don’t vote for kings Well how do you become king, then? ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/408 "2026-07-14T18:55:46Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > Well how do you become king, then? # The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that he, Charles, was to carry Excalibur. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/409 "2026-07-14T18:57:56Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that he, Charles, was to carry Excalibur. Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/410 "2026-07-14T19:00:27Z")
Be quiet! ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/411 "2026-07-14T19:00:43Z")
> [@ricepad](#): > > > [@Frodo](#): > > > > The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that he, Charles, was to carry Excalibur. > > Listen. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. Right. You can’t expect to wield _supreme executive power_ just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/412 "2026-07-14T19:00:47Z")
Back in the day, it was super simple: > **[Right of conquest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_of_conquest)** > > The right of conquest is a claimed right of ownership to land acquired through possession by force of arms. Once recognized as a principle of international law, the right of conquest declined during the 20th century, particularly in the aftermath of World War II, the Nuremberg principles, and the adoption of the Charter of the United Nations (UN), which prohibited the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of states. Since the Charter came into effec Pr... For example, Henry VII was the totally legitimate king because Richard III was buried under a car park. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/413 "2026-07-14T19:01:53Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Right. You can’t expect to wield _supreme executive power_ just ’cause some watery tart threw a sword at you! Shut _up!_ ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/414 "2026-07-14T19:02:38Z")
I mean, if I went around saying I was an emperor just because some moistened bint had lobbed a scimitar at me, they’d put me away! ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/415 "2026-07-14T19:03:44Z")
Shut up! Will you _shut up?!_ ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/416 "2026-07-14T19:04:22Z")
Ah, now we see the violence inherent in the system! ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/417 "2026-07-14T19:04:38Z")
_Shut up!_ ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/418 "2026-07-14T19:04:53Z")
Oh! Come and see the violence inherent in the system! Help, help, I’m being repressed! ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/419 "2026-07-14T19:05:26Z")
Bloody Peasant! ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852/420 "2026-07-14T19:05:37Z")
Ooh, what a giveaway! Did you hear that? Did you hear that, eh? That’s what I’m on about! Did you see him repressing me? You saw it, didn’t you? 😄 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=20) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-urban-myths-seem-to-hold-on-for-years-or-decades-even-when-disproven/1030852.md?page=22)