Maybe we shouldn't focus only on the British Empire as the ultimate example, I'd say that the Austro-Hungarian monarchy of the second half of the 19th century is a better example, maybe also one that better fits what lionhearted had in mind. I know that you can blame a lot of things on this particular political entity (the War in Yugoslavia 100 years later being just one example), but it also did a lot of things very well. Actually, come to think of it, large swaths of the European Union are modeled on the Austro-Hungarian example, but those in Brussels are just too scared to admit it.