After years of living in America, these are some of the questions I get asked most often as a Brit — from the Royal Family and tea to low ceilings, castles and why we drive on the “wrong” side of the road.
Moving from Britain to America has given me a slightly unusual perspective on both countries.
Things that felt completely ordinary to me growing up in Britain can seem fascinating, confusing or downright strange to Americans.
And I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been asked some version of:
“Is it really like that in England?”
Sometimes the answer is yes.
Sometimes it’s absolutely not.
And sometimes I find myself thinking, “Actually… I’ve never thought about that before.”
So here are some of the questions I get asked most often.
1. “Does it really rain all the time?”
Let’s start with the stereotype.
Yes, Britain gets rain. No, it does not rain every single day.
Although, if you’re British, you probably already know that the weather can change approximately 47 times before lunchtime.
One of the things I find funny after living in America is how often British weather comes up in conversation.
There is a reason for the stereotype. Britain’s weather is famously changeable, and talking about it is practically a national pastime.
You don’t necessarily need to have anything particularly interesting to say.
You can simply say:
“Bit chilly today, isn’t it?”
And somehow you’ve started a conversation.
The other thing Americans sometimes find surprising is how accustomed Brits are to getting on with their day despite less-than-perfect weather.
Rain?
Put a coat on.
Cold?
Put another layer on.
A bit windy?
Carry on.
Of course, Britain has plenty of beautiful sunny days too. And when the sun does come out, you’ll quickly discover that the entire country has suddenly decided it is summer.
2. “You don’t have air conditioning?”
This one genuinely surprises Americans.
Not usually in the way you might expect.
Air conditioning exists in Britain, of course, and it is becoming more common. But central air conditioning is nowhere near as standard in British homes as it is in many parts of the United States.
The latest English Housing Survey gives a good illustration of the difference: among the 3 million households in England that reported their home becoming uncomfortably hot during 2024–25, only 7% said they used air conditioning to keep cool. Opening windows was by far the most common response, at 90%, followed by closing curtains/blinds and using fans.
And this is one of those differences you really notice when you move between the two countries.
In America, you can walk into a house on a hot summer day and immediately hear the familiar hum of the AC.
In Britain, you might find someone opening every window in the house, putting a fan in the bedroom and declaring:
“It’s not that hot.”
Meanwhile, everyone is absolutely melting.
3. “Do you really drink that much tea?”
Well…
Yes.
Okay, perhaps not every British person drinks tea constantly.
But the stereotype exists for a reason.
For many Brits, tea isn’t just a drink. It’s almost a response to a situation.
Bad day?
Put the kettle on.
Someone’s coming over?
Put the kettle on.
Need to have a serious conversation?
Tea first.
Don’t know what to do?
You guessed it.
Tea.
And after all these years living in America, putting the kettle on is still one of those little things that instantly feels like home.
Tea and biscuits are also one of those combinations that I didn’t fully appreciate until I moved away.
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4. “Do you know the Royal Family?”
This might be one of the questions I’ve been asked more than almost anything else.
And I completely understand why.
The British Royal Family is one of those things that is internationally recognisable in a way that most British institutions simply aren’t.
But there is sometimes a funny assumption that comes with the question.
Being British doesn’t mean I have a direct line to Buckingham Palace. 😂
No, I don’t know the King.
And no, I don’t personally know what’s happening inside the Palace this week.
But the question does remind me of just how much the Royal Family has been part of British life.
When Queen Elizabeth II died, it felt very different.
It was a sad occasion.
For so many of us, the Queen had simply always been there. We grew up with her. She was a constant presence throughout our childhoods and adult lives, through celebrations, national events and some of Britain’s most significant moments.
And being in America when she died made me feel surprisingly far away from home.
I remember watching everything unfold from thousands of miles away and thinking about what it must have felt like to be in Britain — seeing the flags, hearing the coverage and experiencing such a significant moment together as a country.
Whatever your personal views of the monarchy, losing someone who had been such a constant part of British life for so many generations felt significant.
It was one of those moments that reminded me that living abroad means sometimes being far away for the moments that everyone back home is experiencing together.
And perhaps that’s one of the things I hadn’t fully understood before moving away — sometimes it’s not the everyday things you miss most.
It’s being there.
5. “Why are British houses so short?”
This is one my husband has definitely noticed.
The ceilings.
Especially in older houses.
If you’re used to American homes with generous ceiling heights, some older British houses can feel surprisingly low.
And my husband has learned one important lesson when we’re in Britain:
Watch your head.
😂
Of course, British homes vary enormously. Britain has everything from tiny historic cottages to huge modern houses.
But the age of Britain’s housing stock makes this difference particularly interesting.
England has buildings from many different periods, and you can still see the influence of those periods in homes today.
A centuries-old cottage isn’t going to have been designed around modern American ideas of ceiling height.
And this is actually one of the things I love about Britain.
You can walk down a street and see layers of history in the buildings around you.
6. “Why do you drive on the left?”
This is another one that makes you realise just how strange everyday habits become when you move countries.
From an American perspective, driving on the left can seem completely backwards.
From my perspective, driving on the right initially felt completely backwards.
So I suppose it depends where you learned.
And Britain certainly isn’t the only country that drives on the left. Countries including Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and India do too.
But why did Britain end up keeping left?
The history is complicated, but the custom goes back centuries. Britain’s legal requirement to keep left developed gradually, with London Bridge introducing a keep-left rule in 1756, towns in Scotland following in 1772, and the requirement extending across Great Britain and Ireland in 1835.
The Napoleonic Wars also played an important part in why much of continental Europe ended up driving on the right.
And Britain’s former empire helped spread left-hand traffic to many other parts of the world.
So no, Britain didn’t simply wake up one morning and decide:
“Let’s drive on the other side.”
There’s actually quite a long history behind it.
7. “Have you seen any Scottish castles?”
Yes — and I completely understand why Americans ask this one.
Scotland really does have some spectacular castles.
And they’re not just the fairytale kind.
There are medieval fortresses, dramatic ruins, castles perched on cliffs, castles beside lochs and grand estates that have been home to generations of families.
VisitScotland describes castles as a major part of Scotland’s landscape and history, ranging from famous fortresses and medieval castles to ruined and island castles.
Edinburgh Castle, for example, sits dramatically above the Scottish capital, while places such as Dunnottar Castle combine history with a spectacular coastal setting.
And Scotland’s castle history isn’t just about beautiful buildings.
These places are tied to battles, royal families, clan rivalries, political struggles and some of the most dramatic periods of Scottish history.
For anyone fascinated by Scottish castles, I’ve included some British history and castle books in my recommended resources.
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8. “How old is England?”
This is one of those questions that is surprisingly difficult to answer in a single sentence.
Because England is old.
Really old.
The history stretches back thousands of years, long before the modern country we recognise today.
There was prehistoric Britain, Roman Britain, Anglo-Saxon England, the Norman Conquest, medieval England, the Tudors, the Stuarts, the Georgian period, the Victorians and then the enormous changes of the 20th century.
English Heritage’s historical timeline begins with prehistory, followed by Roman Britain from AD 43, the early medieval period, the Norman Conquest in 1066, the Tudor period, the Stuarts, Georgians and Victorians.
The Romans were in Britain for almost four centuries, leaving behind roads, towns, forts and monuments such as Hadrian’s Wall.
Then came the Norman Conquest in 1066, which dramatically changed England’s government, language, architecture and society.
Then the Tudors.
Henry VIII.
Elizabeth I.
The English Civil War.
The Industrial Revolution.
The British Empire.
The Victorian era.
Two World Wars.
And suddenly you’re standing in a modern British town surrounded by buildings, roads and traditions with connections to completely different periods of history.
That is something I don’t think I fully appreciated until living in America.
The United States has an incredibly rich history, but the scale is different.
When I tell an American that something in Britain is hundreds of years old, it doesn’t necessarily sound remarkable to a Brit.
But from an American perspective, it can be fascinating.
9. “Do British people really say ‘sorry’ all the time?”
I’m afraid this one might be true.
😂
And the strange thing is that sometimes we’re not even apologising.
Someone bumps into you?
“Sorry.”
You bump into someone else?
“Sorry.”
Someone walks directly into your path?
“Sorry.”
You need to squeeze past someone?
“Sorry.”
Two people are standing in the way of the entire supermarket aisle?
You somehow still feel like you should apologise.
I’ve lived in America long enough to notice this about myself now.
Sometimes I’ll say sorry and then realise:
Wait. What exactly was I apologising for?
10. “What do you actually miss about Britain?”
This is probably my favourite question.
Because the answer isn’t always what people expect.
Of course I miss people.
Family. Friends. Familiar places.
But it’s also the little things.
Certain foods.
British humour.
The ease of knowing how everything works without having to think about it.
Walking into a British shop and immediately knowing where everything is.
Hearing certain accents.
The countryside.
A proper cup of tea.
And, surprisingly, British television.
I didn’t realise how much I’d miss simply being able to turn on the TV and find something that feels familiar.
It’s not just the programmes themselves. It’s the humour, the accents, the references, the presenters and that feeling of hearing a familiar British voice after you’ve been away for a while.
Sometimes you don’t even realise you’re missing something until you hear it again.
That’s why services such as BritBox have become such a nice option for Brits living in America. Being able to watch British dramas, comedies, mysteries and other favourites can bring back a little piece of home — even when you’re thousands of miles away.
And then there are the really little things.
A particular biscuit.
A familiar street.
A rainy afternoon.
A certain shop.
A Sunday tradition.
Something that suddenly takes you straight back.
I think that’s one of the strangest and nicest things about living abroad.
You don’t necessarily appreciate everything about home when you’re there.
Sometimes you have to leave it to realise which pieces of it you’ve carried with you.
And perhaps that’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned from living across the pond:
Home isn’t always one place anymore. 🇬🇧 → 🇺🇸
So, what have I learned from all these questions?
Living in America has made me realise just how many things we take for granted about the country we grew up in.
The way we drive.
The way our houses are built.
The weather we complain about.
The tea we drink.
The history surrounding us.
The castles we barely think twice about.
And yes…
the Royal Family.
What feels completely ordinary to one person can be fascinating to someone from another country.
And that’s probably one of my favourite things about Life Across the Pond.
Moving from Britain to America hasn’t made me less British.
If anything, living here has made me notice all the little things that make Britain feel like home.
🇬🇧 → 🇺🇸
🇬🇧 More British-American Culture & Expat Guides
If you’re a Brit living in America — or just curious about the differences — you might also enjoy:
15 British Foods Americans Just Don’t Get
British Essentials I Always Reorder in the USA
What I Take Home from America to the UK
Moving to the USA from the UK: Complete Checklist
Halloween in America: What Surprised Me as a Brit
🇬🇧 A little taste of home
If you’re missing British tea, biscuits and other favourites in the USA, I’ve put together my British Essentials recommendations here.
Browse My Amazon British Essentials Storefront
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