London in this era was the most prosperous metropolis in the world, without equal.
By 1928, London's population had already surpassed 9.5 million and was closing in on the ten-million mark.
Perhaps before long, the world's first colossal city with a population exceeding ten million would emerge.
Neither Paris in France, nor Sofia in Bulgaria, nor Vienna of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Berlin in Germany, or New York in North America could be mentioned in the same breath.
The world's financial capital, political capital, economic capital, industrial capital—London possessed far too many titles.
More than half of all financial transactions in the world were completed here. With the United States no longer a competitor, the prosperity of the Victorian era had continued into the present.
If someone were to calculate GDP, they would be astonished to discover that London's total GDP exceeded that of ninety percent of the countries in the world.
The British Empire had the world's largest economy, while London's economy ranked sixth globally, behind only Bulgaria, France, Germany, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and ahead of Japan and Italy.
Most outrageous of all was London's economic growth rate, which had exceeded fifteen percent for five consecutive years. It was practically a miracle.
Of course, this miracle was something the British believed themselves; it had not won recognition from the rest of the world.
The British Empire had poured so many resources into this city. If its development had been slow, that would have been the real problem.
Was London truly so wonderful?
Wrong!
Few people who had visited London in winter could develop a favorable impression of the city. A gray, murky sky shrouded it; entering London felt as though one had stepped into another world.
Prince William furrowed his brows. Damn it, this was London? Visibility was less