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[McLaren Fan]

"Empire" comes from the Latin "imperium", which is a noun coming from the verb "imperare", meaning to command. (Check The Oxford English Dictionary if you wish.) Thus, an empire is any kind of group, area etc. ruled a supreme rule of one kind or another, including kings and queens.

[AngelesoinsectoS]

I do not think that Great Britain has officially been wrong since the Empire. Then it became the United Kingdom, but we have a queen, so why is it not United Queendom?

Plus UK was never an empire as we never had an Emperor

You don't have to be ruled by en emperor or empress to have an empire. I do think it's laughable that Britain is preceded by 'Great'. That hasn't been true for quite some time now. Only a few weeks ago the whole country was paralysed by a few inches of snow!

I am sure you do.

Empire - Emperor (Japan has an Emperor)
Kingdom - King (UK has a Queen (female King))
Principality- Prince (Monaco has a Prince)

The emperor title in Japan nowadays is more symbolic than anything else since the idea of imperialism is much more an economical issue. And yeah, even though you may not call emperor to the kings, that doesn't mean they weren't. Spain was also a huge empire in the past and we always refer to them as both kings and emperors. You see, Napoleon wasn't even a king and he was called an emperor, and so were the roman emperors, considering Rome was a republic back in the days. I think the term is applied to a guy that rules some other countries that have been conquered or assimilated beyond the limits of their own kingdom. There's no way to tell that some country have ever been an empire "by the book".
Asturias is the principality of Spain, and it's not even an independent country and the heir to the Spanish crown has always been considered Principe de Asturias. Princes are would be kings, that's it.

[Jabberwocky]

I agree on the principality part. The Prince of Wales is next in line to Britain's throne.

However how does that work with the Prince of Monaco?

[stonemonkey]

.......and became naturalised Italian.

We could only wish.

damn, thought it said neutralised. (j/k) :p

Scottish here btw, not British although unlike a lot of Scots I have nowt against the auld enemy.

[Gaz]

I agree on the principality part. The Prince of Wales is next in line to Britain's throne.

However how does that work with the Prince of Monaco?

Yeh Monaco is a principality

[AngelesoinsectoS]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Grimaldi
This may explain a little bit of the Monaco thing.

[racechick]

I think Britain should drop the 'Great' and be simply Britain. What about Great China? Great United States? Great Brazil? Great Russia? Great Canada? Great India? All by the way by far bigger than puny Britain

History my dear man history.
And its tough, you cant have 'Great' because we've got it

[bud]

Great means ALL of Britain.

[darwin dali]

Great means ALL of Britain.

It doesn't really mean this (literally), but to humor you, why not United Britain or somtin'?

[bud]

Great means ALL of Britain.

It doesn't really mean this (literally), but to humor you, why not United Britain or somtin'?

Its a shortened down version of Greater Britain
• ( Greater) [ attrib. ] (of a city) including adjacent urban areas : Greater Cleveland.


DD youre such a typical mainland European with an obvious distaste for the Brits

[Gaz]

Great means ALL of Britain.

It doesn't really mean this (literally), but to humor you, why not United Britain or somtin'?

Beacuse were not f***ing yanks



And we have a King or a Queen.

[darwin dali]

Great means ALL of Britain.

It doesn't really mean this (literally), but to humor you, why not United Britain or somtin'?

Its a shortened down version of Greater Britain
• ( Greater) [ attrib. ] (of a city) including adjacent urban areas : Greater Cleveland.


DD youre such a typical mainland European with an obvious distaste for the Brits

Nope, I'm not. I consider myself cosmopolitan and I don't have anything against Brits. I find them interesting in a curious way. I like their humor, their accent(s), and even their oddities - their food, however, I thoroughly despise while their beer is lovely

[darwin dali]

Great means ALL of Britain.

It doesn't really mean this (literally), but to humor you, why not United Britain or somtin'?

Beacuse were not f***ing yanks



And we have a King or a Queen.

Yeah well, a rather impotent monarch, ain't that the truth?

[Gaz]

Great means ALL of Britain.

It doesn't really mean this (literally), but to humor you, why not United Britain or somtin'?

Beacuse were not f***ing yanks



And we have a King or a Queen.

Yeah well, a rather impotent monarch, ain't that the truth?

YEp..

[headless]

Does seem random that no other countries/or groups of, are called 'Great'.