Song/Thought of the Day: Is the British Empire really Dead?

A few Days ago I discovered an old Canadian Song from WW2, and it got me thinking, is the British Empire really dead, or has it just transformed from a political entity, to a cultural Empire?

Remembrance Day Celebrations in Victoria, Canada. It's hard to ignore the British Overtones.  

Here are the Song Lyrics:

Though England's foes may assail her,
Though war clouds hang around,
Still the bright sun smiles o'er Britain's Isles,
For friends in need she's found.

From India's Strand to Baffin's Land they have answered the Empire's call,
For we can't turn our back on the Old Union Jack,
The best old flag of all.

Then give three cheers,
Three British cheers for the old red, white and blue.

Let all the world know that Britain's foe,
Is Canada's foe too.

Across the sea in Germany,
Our boys will prove their worth.

For the maple leaf,
Our emblem dear,
And the best old flag on Earth.

Jubilant Crowds in Perth, WA, waiting to greet the Queen of Australia. The WA flag and the Aussie flag are British Ensigns. 

Now my thinking is this, by 1939, the UK had cut most of it's political ties with it's dominions, Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Yet all these countries declared war on the Axis Powers as soon as the UK did.

Even today, the British Monarch is the head of state of Canada, New Zealand and Australia, as well as a multitude of other nations, but even more than that, there is something quintessentially British about the former Dominions. In Australia, people seem to enjoy tea and cakes more than us Brits while Paul Theroux described Christchurch as looking like a suburb of South London.

Christchurch New Zealand could easily be mistaken for a Town in South East England. Even it's Famous Church is a copy of a church in Feltham, South West London.  

The ancient Greek sphere of influence which spread from Western Europe all the way to modern day India had few direct political connections yet it is often considered an Empire, maybe this is now true of the British Empire?

Thanks for reading my random ramble, please post your thoughts, I'd love to hear from other people, especially those of you living in the cultural empire!