Royal blue


Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It refers to a deep blue that, ever since 508 AD and the baptism of Clovis I, has been associated with the Kings of France, the French Monarchy, and France as a nation. It was the main color of the uniform of the French Royal Guards regiment, which were created in 1563 to ensure the King's Guard. Very soon, starting in the 17th century, it became the color of all the uniforms of the French Army, from the Musketeers, during the Napoleonic era, and all the way to World War I, until it was made obsolete as a color for battle uniforms by modern warfare and the need for camouflage.

Brightness

The English Dictionary">English language">English Dictionary defines "royal blue" as "a deep vivid blue", while the Cambridge English Dictionary defined it as "a strong, bright blue colour", and the Collins English Dictionary defines it as "a deep blue colour". US dictionaries give it as further towards purple, e.g. "a deep, vivid reddish or purplish blue" or "a vivid purplish blue".
By the 1950s, many people began to think of royal blue as a brighter color, and it is this brighter color that was chosen as the web color "royal blue". The World Wide Web Consortium designated the keyword "royalblue" to be this much brighter color, rather than the traditional darker version of royal blue.
Cree Inc. uses the term Royal Blue to describe light emitting diodes in the wavelength range 450–465 nanometers, slightly shorter than the regular blue range of 465–485 nanometers.

Variations

Queen blue

Queen blue is a medium tone of royal blue.
The first recorded use of queen blue as a color name in English was in 1926. Before that, since 1661, this color had been called queen's blue.

Imperial blue

Imperial blue is recorded as an alternative name for the traditional royal blue color above. The name is also used for a distinct, medium blue color by Pantone.

In culture

Literature
Auto racing
Flags
Australian rules football
Football
American football
Ice hockey
Uniforms
University
  • Imperial blue is the brand colour of the Imperial College London, which is used through all college communications.
  • Royal blue is the brand colour of Yonsei University, used in its emblem, flag, and various university designs.