The most important thing to grasp about Britain is that it is nowhere near as rich as it thinks it is.
There are good reasons for the wealth illusion. The country has inherited a magnificent legacy from its industrial and imperial past. A handful of elite universities and companies keep Britain on the cutting-edge of new technologies such as AI and vaccines. The wealth is highly concentrated in the much-visited southeast, and many members of the elite float through life in a bubble of affluence — from nice country houses to posh schools to well-endowed Oxbridge colleges to well-paid jobs working for global companies.