When I was six and visiting my grandparents in Belgium

one day my grandmother pointed to the news on TV and told me that was the king. I wasn't quite sure what to make of either her statement or the TV screen, because the man on the screen was clearly wearing a regular suit and tie and not a robe and crown. He was also not carrying a scepter.

Anyway, this is an open letter to all news organizations: When you're talking about the monarch in Belgium, he is the King of the Belgians and not the King of Belgium.

This may seem like a trivial distinction. Even I think it's a bit petty, and I'm a major pedant about things like this, hence this post. Nevertheless, get it right.