The Fury on 14 March 2012
It reads like you are confusing Monarchy with Empire. British Empire is what made it strong and the loss of said Empire is slowly weakening it. We used to have many places to supply our country with resources. We no longer have this. All the countries you listed were benefited by the Empire and slowly either broke free, given it or aren't tied down as much as they used to be. They have remained strong since.
This is my take anyway. You also mentioned that certain countries are important or wealth creators, think Germany and Japan might argue against that.
Hong Kong is not independent now, it's part of China.
Hmm, pie.
