How oyal is The Royal Bank of Scotland?
The Royal Bank of Scotland was established by royal charter in 1727. The ‘Royal’ in its name was not just a way of distinguishing the Bank from its rival, Bank of Scotland; it also indicated that the new Bank had very influential supporters, including the King himself. King George was glad to support the new venture because his right to the British throne was disputed, and he suspected that Bank of Scotland, the only bank in Scotland before our foundation, supported his opponents, the Jacobites. Royal connections remain important to RBS today. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II performed the official opening of our Gogarburn head office campus in Edinburgh in 2005. Both she and her mother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, have been honoured on special commemorative banknotes issued by The Royal Bank of Scotland.
