Symbols of the declined British Empire are still going strong in former colonies
Although the decline of the British Empire has taken place a long time ago, we can still see the evidences and traces of that Empire in the former colonies. To give an example I would like to stick to Canada, a former British and French colony that has only reached full sovereignty in 1982. Yet, Queen Elizabeth II is still head of state in Canada. Additionally to this, the Queen can also be found on the Canadian currency. Furthermore, even today new citizens have to sign the oath of citizenship that includes the fealty to the Canadian Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. My general impression was that they are proud of the British origins and happy about their Queen, which is most likely not the case for all former British colonies. Many cities and even provinces also have a British origin as they are named after British royals. Examples for this are the provinces Alberta (named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, fourth daughter of Queen Victoria) and British Columbia. British symbols can especially be found in Victoria with its Victorian- and Edwardian-style architecture. Another major symbol of Britishness and British Columbia is the provincial flag.
It is deeply enrooted with Great Britain as the Union Jack forms the upper part of their flag symbolizing relatedness. The flag was even changed to fit the expression “the sun never sets on the British Empire” and the rising sun was put on the bottom instead of on the top so it would not symbolize a sundown. The provincial’s motto “splendor sine occasu” further fits the idea of the British Empire as it translates to splendour without diminishment potentially referring to the idea of the never setting sun of the Empire or due to the geographical position of BC it can refer to the western location and the expansion of the Empire in general. As this flag was introduced only in 1960 it shows that this is a rather modern handling with history and that the colonial past is embraced.
Sources:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/section-01.asp
