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Royalcore

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Royalcore is a term referring to a group of aesthetics based on the visuals associated with the Western European royalty, ranging from Arthurian times (5th and 6th centuries) to the Belle Époque period (late 19th century). Royalcore revolves around refinement and classic western standards of behavior. Intelligence, morality, skill, and elegance are base qualities that give more meaning to the look. Visually, this aesthetic focuses on castle structure and the surrounding grounds, including knight training arenas and gardens.

Sets of laws called sumptuary laws were placed to differentiate the types of fabrics, colors, and types of clothes for social classes. Royal wear consisted of many layers made from high-quality fabrics like silk, velvet, taffeta, wool and fur. Colors were also reserved for royalty, as vibrant colors like purple and gold could only be affordable to those of high status.

Royalcore, as of now, mainly focuses on visual characteristics and contexts of historical European monarchies. This context is awaiting further extension to include other culturally significant aspects of royalty.

Subgenres for royalcore may have page extensions listed below their descriptions.

Visual[]

Visual references for royalcore can be taken from many different forms of media and history. These images can be inspiration for any modernized twist. Visuals can be from architecture to actions to artwork. Examples include:

Architecture[]

Listed alphabetically by country, then name of structure

Castles/Fortresses[]
  • Reinhardstein Castle, Waimes, Belgium
  • Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, England
  • Bolsover Castle, Bolsover, England
  • Dover Castle, Dover, England
  • Kenilworth Castle, Kenilworth, England
  • Tower of London, London, England
  • Warwick Castle, Warwick, England
  • Château de Carrouges, Carrouges, France
  • Château de Combourg, Combourg, France
  • Château Comtal, Carcassone, France
  • Château dus ducs de Bretagne, Nantes, France
  • Château Guillaume-le-Conquérant, Falaise, France
  • Château de Fougères, Brittany, France
  • Château de la Napoule, Mandelieu-La Napoule, France
  • Château de Rambures, Rambures, France
  • Château de Roquetaillade, Mazères, France
  • Château de Vitre, Brittany, France
  • Mont Saint Michel, Brittany, France
  • Schloss Marksburg, Germany
  • Schloss Reichenstein, Germany
  • Schloss Rheinstein, Germany
  • Schloss Sooneck, Germany
  • Castel del Monte, Italy
  • Castello Orsini-Odescalchi, Italy
  • Castello di Roccascalegna, Italy
  • Edinburgh Castle, Scotland
  • Stirling Castle, Scotland
  • Caernarfon Castle, Wales
  • Ludlow Castle, Wales

Palaces[]

  • Schloss Schönbrunn, Austria
  • Royal Palace of Brussels, Belgium
  • Tokyo Imperial Palace, Japan
  • Forbidden City, China
  • Paço Imperial, Brazil
  • Grand Palace/Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang, Thailand
  • Chapultepec Castle, Mexico
  • Buckingham Palace, England
  • Windsor Castle, England
  • Hampton Court Palace, England
  • Chateau d’Anet, France
  • Chateau de la Bourbansais, France
  • Chateau de Chantilly, France
  • Chateau de Fontaine-Henry, France
  • Château de Montauban, France
  • Chateau de Pierrefonds, France
  • Chateau de Versailles, France
  • Chateau de Vincennes, France
  • Palais des Papes, France
  • Schloss Drachenburg, Germany
  • Schloss Neuschwanstein, Germany
  • Schloss Stolzenfels, Germany
  • Ambas Vilas, India
  • Sa'dabad Complex, Iran
  • Alhambra de Granada, Andalusia, Spain
  • Güell Palace, Barcelona, Spain
  • Palacio de Santa Cruz, Valladolid, Spain
  • Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • Belvedere Castle, USA
  • Biltmore Estate, USA
  • Castello di Amorosa, USA
  • Fonthill Castle, USA
  • Boldt Castle, USA
  • Hearst Castle, USA
  • Iolani Palace, USA
  • Loveland Castle, USA
  • Lyndhurst Castle, USA

Decor[]

  • Tapestries
  • Persian-styled rugs
  • Frescos
  • Heraldry
  • Swords & suits of armor
  • Painted portraits
  • Marble statues
  • Lacquer or inlaid wooden furniture
  • Gilding
  • Venetian Mirrors
  • Crystal Chandeliers
  • Candlesticks, candelabras, and torchieres
  • Flagstone or parquet flooring
  • Long fabric window drapes
  • Tassels and fringe
  • Fine china dinnerware
  • Silver tableware
  • Crystal glassware
  • Fountain pens and quills
  • Executive desks
  • Four poster or canopied beds
  • Vanity tables
  • Clawfoot tubs
  • Hardcover books
  • Marble Columns
  • Archways
  • Long Spiral Staircases
  • Turrets
  • Ornate thrones
  • Crenelations

Antique Furniture Periods[]

Imitation and real pieces exist on the market. It is possible to mix and match for a personalized expression of regality.

  • International Rococo
  • International Baroque
  • French
    • Louis XIII
    • Louis XIV
    • Louis XV
    • Louis XVI
    • French Empire (Napoleonic)
    • French Country or Provençal
  • English
    • Neo-Gothic (aka Gothic Revival)
    • Regency
    • Queen Anne
    • Victorian
  • Swedish
    • Gustavian
  • German
    • Biedermeier
  • USA
    • American Federal; Duncan Phyfe, Lannuier, Hepplewhite
  • Landscaping
    • French Formal Garden style
    • Italian Garden Style
    • Spanish Garden Style, Moorish
    • Forested hunting reserves
    • Open Fields

Fashion[]

Fabric Materials[]

In general, luxury materials prior to the Industrial Revolution are suitable. Seek out natural materials versus synthetics if possible. Patent leather would not be as chic as vegan leathers in a matte or suede finish, for example, because suede was delicate and therefore more costly.

  • velvet
  • satin
  • silk
  • linen
  • cotton
  • wool
  • cashmere
  • angora
  • tweed
  • bouclé
  • leather (vegan options available or print)
    • cowhide
    • reptile skin; crocodile, alligator, python
    • shagreen; shark
  • fur (faux or vintage, used) as trim, a muff, hat, or coat
    • fox (orange or white)
    • mink
    • ermine
    • big cats such as leopard, jaguar, tiger
  • feather trim or accents, faux or real
  • lace as overlay or trim
  • cord trim
  • embroidery accents and details
  • beading details
  • brocade print
  • paisley print

Wardrobe[]

Eye-catching monochromatic ensembles are used by royalty to stand out in a crowd; bringing attention to themselves. Neutrals are all well and good, but the rest of the color wheel deserves its day.

Winter[]

Most options are neither brown nor black to fit with the season

  • Tweed skirts (knee to maxi length)
  • Wool skirts
  • Jersey blouses
  • Cotton shirts
  • sweater sets in bright or neutral colors
  • sleeveless wool dresses (knee to maxi length)
  • black wool dress, not very décolleté for day to afternoon
  • black cocktail dress, very décolleté for evening
  • long evening gown that can be worn year round (not black or velvet)
  • long evening gown for winter (can be black or velvet)
  • tuxedo (all genders)
  • Long coats, capes or Pashmina shawls
  • Closed toe shoes or boots, leather or vegan leather

Spring[]

  • Chanel-type suit in soft, color other than white, with matching blouse
  • blouses, solid colors, but clear and bright
  • lightweight fabric trousers, bright-colored
  • lightweight wool suit in solid color
  • linen suit for very warm weather
  • lightweight wool coat for autumn (navy blue is popular, but consider grey, red, green, white, and beige)
  • lightweight wool skirts, in colors matching the coat
  • silk dress or two-piece blouse & skirt, knee-length to maxi-length, for day to afternoon
  • as many washable cotton & linen dresses as particular activities and climate may require
  • cocktail dress, very décolleté for evening
Men and Male-presenting[]

To the basic ensemble of collared shirts and trousers, with a blazer jacket or entire suits, consider the opportunities for waistcoats and ascot ties. Explore print and textures over the safe choice of solid color and consider the rest of the color wheel, again, besides the safe choices of black, navy blue, and browns.

Accessories[]

  • Regalia
    • Crowns, Tiaras, Diadems
    • Scepter
    • Ermine coronation mantle
  • Jewelry
    • Signet ring
    • Parure (matching set) jewelry
    • Pearls
    • Cameos
    • Medallion style pendants or brooches
    • Watches, or pocket watches with visible chain
    • Cufflinks
    • Tie pins
  • Hats
    • Facinators
    • Picture hats
    • Top hats
    • Flat cap appropriate for countryside
  • Gloves
    • Opera length (past elbow) evening gloves
    • White cotton gloves for day, wrist length
    • Colorful gloves in accent colors for finishing outfits, in fabric or leather
  • Handbags
    • Top handle bags, light enough to hold with one hand, in simple rectangular or trapezoid shapes. No overt logos.
    • Envelope clutch, large enough to hold a tablet or paperback book.
    • Evening clutch
  • Stockings & Tights, Socks
    • control top pantyhose, skin tone
    • stockings, skin tone or dark, thigh-high to be worn with garters
    • tights, dark or patterned
    • argyle or patterned knee length socks
    • socks appropriate for sport and countryside
  • Shoes
    • closed toe pumps, slingbacks, or t-straps
    • leather lace ups; saddle shoes, oxfords, brogues
    • boots appropriate for riding
    • boots appropriate for countryside sport
    • sneakers appropriate for relevant sport
  • Undergarments - can effect an upright, regal posture, if desired
    • Corsets and Stays, typically with rigid boning*
    • Spanx, being readily available and cost effective
    • Garter Belt (Rigby and Peller has royal bonafides, being granted the Royal Warrant as corsetier to HM Queen Elizabeth II and other extended members of the British royal family)

* Whilst corsets, stays and other historical garments were neither restrictive nor uncomfortable for the masses, it is important to acknowledge that the fashions of royal European courts were intended to limit movement, so as to reenforce the elite and toil-less lifestyle of the wearer.

Media[]

Art & Artists[]

Renaissance[]

Baroque[]

Rococco[]

Neo-Classicism[]

Pre-Raphaelite[]

Orientalism[]

British Genre Painting[]

Italian Genre Painting[]

Documentaries[]

  • Phil Spencer's Stately Homes (2016)
  • Secrets of Great British Castles (2015)
  • Six Wives with Lucy Worsley (2016)

TV Shows[]

  • The Borgias (2011)
  • The Crown (2016)
  • Elizabeth R (1971)
  • The Great (2020)
  • The Last Czars (2019)
  • Reign (2013)
  • The Spanish Princess (2019)
  • The Tudors (2007)
  • Rome (2005)
  • Versailles (2015)
  • Victoria (2016)
  • The White Queen (2013)
  • Blackadder II (1986)
  • Wolf Hall (2015)
  • Ever After High (2013)

East Asian (or set in) TV Shows[]

  • The Empress of China (2014)
  • Empresses in the Palace (2011)
  • Marco Polo (2014)
  • Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018)
  • Story of Yanxi Palace (2018)

Movies[]

  • A Royal Affair (2012)
  • Anne of a Thousand Days (1969)
  • Cleopatra (1963)
  • Elizabeth (1998)
  • Elizabeth I (2005)
  • Elizabeth, The Golden Age (2007)
  • Farewell, My Queen (2012)
  • Imperium Augustus (2003)
  • Lady Jane (1986)
  • Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
  • Marie Antoinette (2006)
  • Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
  • Mary, Queen of Scots (2018)
  • Ophelia (2019)
  • Orlando (1992)
  • Restoration (1995)
  • Shakespeare in Love (1998)
  • Sissi (1955)
  • Sissi - Fateful Years of an Empress (1957)
  • Sissi - The Young Empress (1956)
  • The Duchess (2008)
  • The Lion in Winter (1968)
  • The Madness of King George (1994)
  • The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
  • The Prince and the Pauper (1996)
  • The Virgin Queen (2006)
  • The Young Victoria (2009)

Bollywood Movies[]

  • Bajirao Mastani (2015)
  • Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
  • Mughal-e-Azam (1960)
  • Padmaavat (2018)

East Asian (or set in) Movies[]

  • Curse of the Golden Flower (2006)
  • The Last Emperor (1987)

Anime, Manga, & Comics[]

  • The Remarried Empress by Alphatart & Sumpui
  • Suitor Armor by Purpah
  • High Class Homos by momozerii
  • Your Throne by SAM
  • Hooky by Míriam Bonastre Tur
  • Revolutionary girl Utena by Be papas & Chiho Saito
  • From a Knight to a Lady by Ink. & Hyerim Sung

Videogames[]

  • Imperialism (1997)
  • Imperialism II: Age of Exploration (1999)

Magazines[]

  • Jane Austen's Regency World
  • Veranda
  • Victoria
  • Victoriana Magazine

Literature[]

Non-fiction[]

  • The Essence of Style: How the French Invented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafes, Style, Sophistication, and Glamour by Joan DeJean
  • Queen Victoria's Matchmaking: The Royal Marriages that Shaped Europe by Deborah Cadbury
  • Emily Post's Etiquette by Emily Post
  • The Ladies' Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness, by Florence Hartley. Gutenberg Project e-book here.

Biographies[]

  • Charlemagne: The Formation of a European Identity by Rosamond McKitterick
  • Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life by Alison Weir
  • Isabella of Castile: Europe's First Great Queen by Giles Tremlett
  • The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn by Eric Ives
  • The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison Weir
  • The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
  • Tudor: The Family Story by Leanda de Lisle
  • The Sun King: Louis Fourteenth at Versailles by Nancy Mitford
  • Madame de Pompadour by Nancy Mitford
  • Peter the Great: His Life and World by Robert K. Massie
  • Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
  • Frederick the Great by Nancy Mitford
  • Napoleon: A Concise Biography by David A. Bell
  • Victoria: The Queen by Julia Baird

Sci-Fi/Fantasy[]

  • The Princess Bride by William Goldman
  • The Cruel Prince series by Holly Black
  • The Selection series by Keira Cass

Historical Fiction[]

  • Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George
  • Wolf Hall series by Hilary Mantel
    • Wolf Hall
    • Bring Up the Bodies
    • The Mirror and the Light
  • Most of Phillipa Gregory's books.
  • The D'Artagnan Romances by Alexandre Dumas

Contemporary Fiction[]

  • The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot
  • Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Plays[]

  • William Shakespeare
    • King John
    • Richard II
    • Henry IV Part 1
    • Henry IV Part 2
    • Henry V
    • Henry VI Part 1
    • Henry VI Part 2
    • Henry VI Part 3
    • Richard III
    • Henry VIII
    • Hamlet
    • King Lear
    • Macbeth

Political[]

  • The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

Music[]

Songs[]

  • "Greensleeves" - attributed to King Henry VIII, courting Anne Boleyn. Sung version.
  • "Queen of the Night Aria" (Magic Flute) - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Performance.
  • "Premier menuet pour les Guerriers" - Jean Philippe Rameau. Minuet performed in 'Marie Antoinette'. Performance.
  • "Symphony No. 3 in E flat major (Op. 55) Eroica" - Ludwig van Beethoven
  • "Romany Life Polka" - Victor Herbert. Performance of music and dance.
  • "Feuerfest! Polka francaise, Op. 269" - Josef Strauss. Performance of music and dance.
  • "The Second Waltz" - Dmitri Shostakovich
  • "Masquerade Waltz" - Aram Khachaturian
  • "Pas de Deux" (The Nutcracker) - Pyotr Tchaikovsky
  • "Polonaise" (Eugene Onegin) - Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Performance of music and dance.
  • "Festival Coronation March" - Pyotr Tchaikovsky, for Tzar Nicholas II
  • "Song without Words, Op. 85, No. 6" - Felix Mendelssohn, arranged for Queen Victoria & Prince Albert to play duets
  • "Homage to Queen Victoria" - Johann Strauss Sr., for Queen Victoria's Coronation Ball
  • "Emperor Waltz" - Johann Strauss Jr., for state meeting between Emperors Franz Joseph I and Wilheim II
  • "Scheherazade op.35" - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
  • "Merry-Go-Round of Life" - Joe Hisaishi
  • "When You Wish Upon a Star" remix
  • "Begin The Beguine" - Cole Porter. Foxtrot "The Crown". Instrumental performance.
  • "Gay Disney Prince" - Thomas Sanders

Subgenres[]

Knightcore[]

Knightcore is an aesthetic that is based on Medieval Knights. Not to be confused with Nightcore, the popular music style. Knightcore in a way could be someone "simping" or having a "code of honor". Knightcore is devoting yourself to a cause of goodness and righteousness in the views of equality and love for people, having a moral code for good, and being a protector in a friend group.

For more information on this aesthetic, please visit the Knightcore page.

Princecore[]

Princecore is a young male variant of Royalcore, and is heavily based on male loving male (MLM) relationships (not to be confused with Multi-Level Marketing). Most of its popularity is on Tumblr.

For more information on this aesthetic, please visit the Princecore page.

Princesscore[]

Princesscore is a young female variant of Royalcore that usually involves long dresses. Some can be pastel, gothic, and/or etc. Many also have lace designs made into them. Crowns and beautiful jewelry are also involved in this aesthetic. This sub-genre is more carefree and juvenile.

For more information on this aesthetic, please visit the Princesscore page.

Kingcore[]

Kingcore is a more mature variant of Princecore with a more regal aesthetic compared to Princecore.

For more information on this aesthetic, please visit the Kingcore page.

Queencore[]

Queencore is a more mature variant of Princesscore with a more regal aesthetic compared to Princesscore.

Queencore may consist of more adult-like themes, like politics and war, so it is assumed to be more heavy-handed than Princesscore. Inspiration can be drawn from matriarchal figures in hierarchy-centered shows and movies, especially those centered around kingdoms.

For more information on this aesthetic, please visit the Queencore page.

Resources[]

External links to help get a better understanding of this aesthetic.

Vendors[]

Playlists[]

Pinterest Boards[]

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