John Howard the Australian Prime Minister, flies to England for an audience with the Queen. Howard brings up his grand plans for the future of Australia. “Your majesty”, he begins, “can we turn Australia into a Kingdom in order to increase its status in the world?”
The Queen shakes her head and replies, “One needs a King for a Kingdom and you are most certainly not a King, Mr Howard.”
Not to be dissuaded, he asks “Would it possible to be an Empire then?”
“No,” retorts the Queen. “You need an Emperor for an Empire and you are most certainly not an Emperor.”
“Aw shucks, what about a Principality then?” tries Howard.
Predictably, the Queen replies, “You need a Prince for a Principality and you are most certainly not a Prince.”
Her Majesty takes a sip of tea and adds, “Mr. Howard, having met you and several other Australians I think Australia is perfectly suited to being a country.”