For more than two centuries, the present-day United States and Canada have been the North American Union, an integral part of the British Empire as a result of an agreement between George Washington and King George III of Great Britain. This event is commemorated in a Thomas Gainsborough painting titled The Two Georges and has itself become a symbol of national unity, much like the Stars and Stripes, which in this world is the "Jack and Stripes." Bushell and Stanley are both knighted by the King-Emperor for their efforts.