Royal Bank of Scotland

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The Royal Bank of Scotland Plc (Scottish Gaelic: Banca Rìoghail na h-Alba^[1]) is one of the retail banking subsidiaries of Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc, which together with NatWest, provides branch banking facilities in the United Kingdom. Royal Bank of Scotland has around 700 branches, mainly in Scotland though there are branches in many larger towns and cities throughout England and Wales. It should not be confused with Bank of Scotland. The Royal Bank of Scotland and their parent The Royal Bank of Scotland Group are completely separate from fellow Edinburgh based bank, Bank of Scotland, which pre-dates the Royal Bank of Scotland by 32 years. The Bank of Scotland was effective in raising funds for the Jacobite Rebellion and as a result, The Royal Bank of Scotland was established to provide a bank with strong unionist ties.

[edit] Banknotes

The Royal Bank of Scotland, along with Clydesdale Bank and Bank of Scotland, still prints its own banknotes. The current designs of the notes depict Lord Ilay (1682-1761), the first governor of the bank on the front, and Scottish castles on the back.

Current issue in circulation are:

• 1 pound note featuring Edinburgh Castle
• 5 pound note featuring Culzean Castle
• 10 pound note featuring Glamis Castle
• 20 pound note featuring Brodick Castle
• 50 pound note featuring Inverness Castle
• 100 pound note featuring Balmoral Castle

Occasionally the Royal Bank issues commemorative banknotes. Examples include the £1 note issued to mark the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Alexander Graham Bell in 1997, the £20 note for the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2000, and the £5 note honouring veteran golfer Jack Nicklaus in his last competitive Open competition at St Andrews in 2005. These notes are much sought-after by collectors and they rarely remain long in circulation.

[edit] References