Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. Traditionally, royal blue is a deep shade of blue and is used in several national flags. However, the web color named royal blue is a much brighter shade.
History
In early modern Europe, blue dye for textiles was made from woad. As it was expensive to produce and was not steadfast, it was used by the wealthy and became associated with nobility, particularly the kings of France.
Ever since 508 AD and the baptism of Clovis I, has been associated with the kings of France and France as a nation.[citation needed] It was the main colour of the uniform of the French Royal Guards regiment, which were created in 1563. Very soon, starting in the 17th century, it became the colour of all the uniforms of the French Army, from the Musketeers, during the Napoleonic era, and all the way to the First World War, until it was made obsolete as a colour for battle uniforms by modern warfare and the need for camouflage.[citation needed]
Brightness
The Oxford 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" (Webster's New World College Dictionary) or "a vivid purplish blue" (Merriam-Webster).
The British College of Arms published a definition of the traditional shade of royal blue for use in the Union Jack and identified the Pantone code 280 C, whilst Pantone's own definition called 'royal blue' is coded 19-3955 TCX. British Standard BS 381C, which specifies colours for use in identification, coding and other special purposes, assigned the code BS381C-106 for royal blue, and the defunct British Colour Council assigned the code BCC 197.
A brighter color was chosen as the web color "royal blue" (the web colors when they were formulated in 1987 were originally known as the X11 colors). 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.
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.
Royal blue is an official colour used in several national flags, including the Union Jack and in flags based on the Blue Ensign, such as the Flag of New Zealand.
The Flag of the Philippines uses a royal blue field, which is normally displayed over the red field, to signify a state of peace. Reversing this arrangement (i.e. red above blue) transforms the flag into the nation's war ensign.[citation needed]
↑"New Zealand flag". Ministry for Culture & Heritage. New Zealand Government. Retrieved 9 August 2026. The New Zealand flag has a royal blue background with a Union Jack in the first quarter, and four five-pointed red stars with white borders on the fly.
Color coordinates