Royal blue is both a bright shade and a dark shade of azure blue. It is said to have been created by clothiers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of whom won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III.
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 Collins 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.
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.
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 transforms the flag into the nation’s war ensign.
;Football
Royal blue is the official colour of the shirts of Birmingham City F.C., whose nickname in consequence is Blues.
;Uniforms
When, in 2008, the United States Transportation Security Administration changed the color of airport screener uniforms from white to royal blue, they found that it made the work of the airport screeners easier because airline passengers became more compliant, apparently because by wearing blue, the airport screeners came to be perceived more as authority figures.
;University
Imperial blue is the brand colour of the Imperial College London, which is used through all College communications.
