Royal Blue Color Meaning | Connotations & Palettes

Royal blue describes a range of intense blue colors commonly used to convey sophistication and importance. This article explores the meaning of royal blue, its historical background, practical details such as color codes, and how it differs from navy blue.

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What does royal blue symbolize?

In Western culture, royal blue refers to a range of deep, vivid blue hues traditionally associated with nobility, dignity, and regality.

In design and branding, royal blue is often used to:

• Convey luxury, prestige, and elegance
• Suggest confidence and visual depth
• Create a bold yet refined impression without the severity of darker blues such as navy blue or midnight blue

In interior design, you can use shades of royal blue to:

• Introduce rich color and visual interest to feature walls or furnishings
• Pair with metallic accents such as gold or brass for a classic, regal effect
• Add drama and sophistication while retaining a sense of balance

Color conversion

Facts about royal blue

In Europe, the connection between blue and royalty developed during the Middle Ages. Blue became associated with status and virtue in religious art—for instance, the Virgin Mary was often shown wearing rich blue robes painted with ultramarine, one of the most expensive pigments available. Over time, blue became linked with power and prestige, and European monarchies increasingly adopted it in their clothing and ceremonies.

In France, blue became strongly associated with the monarchy—Louis XIV (1638–1715) is famously depicted in portraits wearing deep-blue coronation robes decorated with golden fleur-de-lis. The term “royal blue” itself appears to come from Britain in the late 18th or early 19th century and is said to refer to the color of a rich blue fabric created for Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III.

In sports, royal blue is the home color of the Buffalo Bills football team, the Edmonton Oilers hockey team, and the Everton F.C. soccer team.

Color variations

Royal blue color code

The CSS hex color code for royal blue is #4169E1, with the keyword value “royalblue.”

Royal blue vs navy blue

Today, royal blue typically refers to a lighter shade of blue than navy blue, as reflected in the CSS color names royalblue (#4169E1) and navy (#000080).

However, historically, royal blue meant a darker shade of blue, closer in appearance to navy blue. This older meaning is still sometimes used today. To distinguish between these two meanings of royal blue, the darker shade is often called “traditional royal blue,” which is commonly represented by the hex code #002366.

Dark royal blue

To produce a dark shade of royal blue, you can use the hex codes:

• #002366 (often called “traditional royal blue” or “royal blue (traditional)”)
• #0033A0 (a common approximation of Pantone royal blue)
• #005A92 (sometimes described as “imperial royal blue”)