Brand · USA · 1904–1980s

Used Royal typewriters

The Royal Typewriter Company was founded in 1904 and became one of the big American makers, with its main factory in Hartford, Connecticut. Its best-known portable is the Quiet De Luxe (1939 to the late 1950s), used by Ernest Hemingway, and in gold-plated form by Ian Fleming, who wrote his James Bond novels on one. Royal's 1950s range also included the large Futura portables and the HH office standard; the 1960s brought the Safari and other cheaper portables, some made at Royal's plants abroad. Royal later passed to Litton Industries, and production moved further overseas. Royal portables use Royal-style ribbon spools, and many universal spools will not seat on them, so buy ribbon sold for Royal machines. They are plentiful and affordable: Quiet De Luxes asked about $100–180 delivered on eBay in late 2026.