Royal College shape was designed by Neil French and David White of the Royal College of Art for production at Copeland’s for the “A Room of our Own” exhibition in 1958, following a drive by the college for stronger links between student designers and industry. The exhibition was intended to highlight the achievements of collaboration between the college and industry since the war.

The shape was later to win the Duke of Edinburgh prize for Elegant Design in 1960. It was promoted in a catalogue of 1961 as having been "specially developed to suit all periods of furnishings, but especially those of more modern styles".

It became an extremely popular shape in the UK over the next decade and was produced in a variety of patterns. The patterns designed for Royal College Shape included

• Golden Fern Y7841 introduced in 1958
• Elizabethan . with pattern number Y7842 introduced in 1958
• Provence with pattern number Y7843 introduced in 1958 designed by Pat Albeck who was a fashion student at the RCA
• Terra Rosa with pattern number Y8086 was produced in 1965 and is Provence in iron red.
• Green Velvet with pattern number Y7869 introduced in 1958
• St. John with pattern number Y7926 introduced in 1958 and designed by David Jackson
• Margrave with pattern number Y7983 introduced in 1958 and designed by Michael Kitt
• Brussels with pattern number Y7984 introduced in 1959
• Gothic with pattern number Y8010 introduced in 1962 and designed by Michael Kitt
• Persia with pattern number Y8018 introduced in 1962
• Delphi with pattern number Y8022 introduced in 1962. HM the Queen commissioned a dinner and coffee service with the monograms of HM King Konstantin, King of Greece and Princess Anna Marie of Denmark as a wedding present.

In plain white it was known as Apollo. The shape sold only a little in Canada and hardly at all in the USA. The shape was withdrawn by 1978.