Royal blue

{{short description|Color, deep and vivid shade of blue}} {{Redirect|Royal Blue}} {{infobox color |title=Royal blue (traditional) |hex=002366 |source=The Mother of All HTML Colo(u)r Charts<ref name=MOAHCC>{{cite web|url=http://tx4.us/mo/rose.htm|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040330215038/http://tx4.us/mo/rose.htm| archive-date=30 March 2004|url-status=usurped|title=The Mother of All HTML Colo(u)r Charts}}</ref> |isccname=Deep blue}}

{{infobox color |title=Royal blue (web color) |hex=4169E1 |source=X11 |isccname=Vivid blue}}

{{infobox color |title=Royal blue (Pantone) |hex=3D428B |source=Pantone<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/19-3955-TCX|access-date=21 January 2019|title=PANTONE 19-3955 TCX Royal Blue|publisher=Pantone}}</ref> |isccname=Deep purplish 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 ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defines "royal blue" as "a deep vivid blue",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/royal_blue|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190122144937/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/royal_blue|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 January 2019|title=royal blue|work=Oxford Living Dictionary|publisher= Oxford University Press|access-date=21 January 2019}}</ref> while the ''Cambridge English Dictionary'' defined it as "a strong, bright blue colour",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/royal-blue|title=royal blue|work=Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus |publisher= Cambridge University Press|access-date=21 January 2019}}</ref> and the ''Collins English Dictionary'' defines it as "a deep blue colour".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/royal-blue|title=royal blue|work=Collins English Dictionary|publisher=HarperCollins|access-date=21 January 2019}}</ref> US dictionaries give it as further towards purple, e.g. "a deep, vivid reddish or purplish blue" (''Webster's New World College Dictionary'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/royal-blue|title=royal blue|work=Webster's New World College Dictionary|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|access-date=21 January 2019}}</ref> or "a vivid purplish blue" (''Merriam-Webster'').<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/royal%20blue|title=royal blue|work=Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary |access-date=21 January 2019}}</ref>

By the 1950s, many people{{Who|date=October 2016}} 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 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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://cree-led.com/products/xlamp-leds-discrete/xlamp-xp-e2 |title=XLamp XP-E2 LEDs | Cree LEDs}}</ref> {{Clear}}

==Variations== ===Queen blue=== {{infobox color |title=Queen blue |hex=436B95 |source=ISCC-NBS<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170630044027/http://tx4.us/nbs/nbs-q.htm ISCC-NBS]}}</ref> |isccname=Moderate 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''.<ref>Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York: 1930 McGraw-Hill Page 201; Color Sample of Queen Blue: Page 95 Plate 36 Color Sample B8</ref> {{Clear}}

===Imperial blue=== {{Redirect|Imperial blue}} {{infobox color |title=Imperial blue |hex=005A92 |source=Pantone<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pantone.com/color-finder/19-4245-TCX|title=PANTONE 19-4245 TCX Imperial Blue|publisher=Pantone|access-date=21 January 2019}}</ref> |isccname=Moderate blue}}Imperial blue is recorded as an alternative name for the traditional royal blue color above.<ref name=MOAHCC/> The name is also used for a distinct, medium blue color by Pantone.{{Clear}}

==In culture== '''Literature''' * The color appears as the title of the book ''Red, White & Royal Blue'' by Casey McQuiston in reference to the prince of England.

'''Auto racing''' * In auto racing, royal blue (called 'imperial blue') is the traditional color of Ford and Carroll Shelby, and for 2012, the primary livery for Hendrick Motorsports' #48 sponsored by Lowe's.

'''Flags''' * Royal blue is an official color used in the flags of American Samoa, Cayman Islands, the European Union, Galicia, the U.S. state of Georgia, Israel, New Zealand,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mch.govt.nz/nzflag/description.html |title=Flags – Ministry for Culture and Heritage|access-date=22 October 2016}}</ref> Texas, Tuvalu, Scotland and the United Kingdom. * 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.

'''Australian rules football''' * Royal blue is the primary colour of the guernseys for the North Melbourne Football Club.

'''Football''' * Royal blue is the official colour of the shirts of Birmingham City F.C., whose nickname in consequence is Blues. * Royal blue is the colour of the shirts of FC Schalke 04 and also one of their nicknames. * Royal blue is the colour of the shirts of Everton F.C. and The Blues is one of their nicknames. * Royal blue is the colour of the shirts of Glasgow Rangers F.C. * Royal blue is the traditional colour of GNK Dinamo Zagreb and is also one of their nicknames (Modri, Plavi in the Croatian language).

'''American football''' * Royal blue is the primary color of the uniforms for the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams of the NFL.

'''Baseball'''

Royal blue is the primary color of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball, hence their name.

'''Basketball'''

Royal blue was the primary color of the Sacramento Kings franchise of the National Basketball Association when they played in Rochester and Cincinnati with the name Royals, again hence their name.

'''Ice hockey''' * Royal blue is the primary color of the uniforms for many NHL teams, including the Buffalo Sabres, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, and Vancouver Canucks.

'''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.<ref>[http://www.uniformmarket.com/magazine/20080701/news.html Uniform Market News July 2008]</ref>

'''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.

==See also== * Cobalt blue * Navy blue * Shades of blue

==References== {{Reflist|33em}}

Category:Shades of azure Category:Shades of blue