'''British''' is the adjective that refers to Britain—historically to [[Great Britain]] and today to the [[United Kingdom]]. Once a spiritual people, today the British are overwhelmingly [[atheist]]ic and even disrespectful of religion, unless it is a religion hostile to [[Christianity]]. Their provincial reverence for [[Charles Darwin]] contributed to their spiritual decline.
The "British people" (usually '''Britons''' or, informally, '''Brits''') are the subjects<ref>The term "citizen" is increasingly used for the more technically correct "subject."</ref> of the [[United Kingdom]]. They usually call themselves ''[[English]]'', ''[[Scottish]]'', ''[[Welsh]]'' or ''Northern Irish''/''[[Irish]]'' referring to which constituent country of the UK they self-identify with. In [[Northern Ireland]] "British" is usually associated with the [[Unionist]] community, with [[nationalists]] and republicans generally regarding themselves as exclusively ''Irish''.
Until the 1960s the word "English" was commonly used instead of "British." This annoyed the Scots and Irish so much that "English" is today more narrowly confined to the language and to the country of England (which comprises most of the British population).
The empire as such no longer exists, though its legacy can still be appreciated today, be it through the popularity of traditional British sports such as football, cricket, rugby and golf; or from the status of [[English]] as the current global [[lingua franca]]; or from the use of the [[Westminster system]] of government and English common law around the world.
The Empire's successor is the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], which still features the British monarch [[Queen Elizabeth II]] as the [[Head of the Commonwealth]]. The commonwealth consists of the UK, [[Commonwealth Realms]] which still have the British monarch as Head of State, and republics.
In 1999, [[Australia]]ns voted in a referendum to retain the British monarch as their [[Head of State]], rather than declare Australia a republic.<ref>Leduc, L. [https://books.google.com/books?id=bawKFKxDFZoC&lpg=PA73&dq=Australian%20republic%20referendum&pg=PA73#v=onepage&q=%22The%20Australian%20republic%20referendum%22&f=false ''The Politics of Direct Democracy: Referendums in Global Perspective'']; Broadview Press; Ontario. Page 73, (2003)</ref>