I can pretty much guarantee you that the two things that first pop in the minds of people when they think about England (those who don't live there) are the Big Ben / Westminster and the Queen / Buckingham palace. Maybe by living there and experiencing a million other things in your life that have nothing to do with either, you don't have a clear perspective of just how persuasive this imagery is - but I think England has been cultivating it very carefully and successfully, that it would be foolish to abandon it.