Royale-les-Eaux
Encyclopedia
Royale-les-Eaux is a fictional town in Northern France
. It features in the James Bond novels of Ian Fleming
and others, particularly Casino Royale
and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
, described in Casino Royale as being "just north of Dieppe
" and lying "near the mouth of the Somme
before the flat coastline soars up from the beaches of southern Picardy
to the Brittany
cliffs which run on to Le Havre
". This would seem to place the town in the département of Somme, which takes its name from the river, but a telegram addressed to Bond in the same novel gives the département as the more southerly Seine-Inférieure
(which was renamed Seine-Maritime
on 18 January 1955). References in On Her Majesty's Secret Service suggest yet another département: when driving northwards along the N1
(now the D901), James Bond passes a Michelin
road sign saying "Montreuil 5, Royale-les-Eaux 10, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage
15". After passing through Montreuil and over the Étaples
-Paris
railway just to the north of the town, the turning for Royale-les-Eaux is on the left. This would put Royale-les-Eaux on the coast just south of Le Touquet, perhaps in the vicinity of Stella-Plage, and in the département of Pas-de-Calais, to the north of Somme.
during the Second Empire
. However the subsequent rise in popularity of Le Touquet meant a loss in custom for Royale. A parallel is drawn between the history of Royale and that of Trouville
, a once-popular destination which was eclipsed by Deauville
. The fortunes of Royale seemed to be recovering at the turn of the century
, when a spring
in the hills behind the town was found to contain enough sulphur to make it marketable as mineral water
. Royale reinvented itself as a spa town
, renamed itself "Royale-les-Eaux" and began exporting "Eau Royale", in a torpedo
-shaped bottle. This success was short-lived, and following lawsuits from Vichy, Perrier
and Vittel
sale of Eau Royale became merely local once more. The town thereafter survived on seaside holidaymakers in the summer and its small fishing fleet
in the winter, as well as "the crumbs which fell to its elegantly dilapidated Casino from the table at Le Touquet".
Royale's renaissance came after the Second World War. Encouraged by the post-war revival of Brighton
and Nice
, in 1950 Royale-les-Eaux was identified as a potential source of revenue by a Paris syndicate which invested funds on behalf of exiled Vichyites. The Casino, the public gardens and the two main hotels were refurbished and Paris jewellers and couturiers were given rent-free sites on which to establish branches. For the year in which the events of Casino Royale take place, the Société des Bains de Mer de Royale has succeeded in securing bookings from "a considerable number of the biggest operators in America and Europe", and leased some of the baccarat
tables to a group of Egyptians, the Mahomet Ali Syndicate. This is the context in which Casino Royale opens.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It features in the James Bond novels of Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
and others, particularly Casino Royale
Casino Royale (novel)
Casino Royale is Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel. It paved the way for a further eleven novels by Fleming himself, in addition to two short story collections, followed by many "continuation" Bond novels by other authors....
and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Location
Royale-les-Eaux is a seaside resortSeaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
, described in Casino Royale as being "just north of Dieppe
Dieppe, Seine-Maritime
Dieppe is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in France. In 1999, the population of the whole Dieppe urban area was 81,419.A port on the English Channel, famous for its scallops, and with a regular ferry service from the Gare Maritime to Newhaven in England, Dieppe also has a popular pebbled...
" and lying "near the mouth of the Somme
Somme River
The Somme is a river in Picardy, northern France. The name Somme comes from a Celtic word meaning tranquility. The department Somme was named after this river....
before the flat coastline soars up from the beaches of southern Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
to the Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
cliffs which run on to Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
". This would seem to place the town in the département of Somme, which takes its name from the river, but a telegram addressed to Bond in the same novel gives the département as the more southerly Seine-Inférieure
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
(which was renamed Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
on 18 January 1955). References in On Her Majesty's Secret Service suggest yet another département: when driving northwards along the N1
Route nationale 1
The Route nationale 1 is a trunk road in France between Paris and Calais.-Reclassification:The majority of the original road has been superseded by the A16 autoroute...
(now the D901), James Bond passes a Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
road sign saying "Montreuil 5, Royale-les-Eaux 10, Le Touquet-Paris-Plage
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage
Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, commonly referred to as Le Touquet, is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It has a population of 5,355....
15". After passing through Montreuil and over the Étaples
Étaples
Étaples or Étaples-sur-Mer is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is a fishing and leisure port on the Canche river.There is a separate commune named Staple, Nord.-History:...
-Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
railway just to the north of the town, the turning for Royale-les-Eaux is on the left. This would put Royale-les-Eaux on the coast just south of Le Touquet, perhaps in the vicinity of Stella-Plage, and in the département of Pas-de-Calais, to the north of Somme.
History
The town's history is outlined in Casino Royale. Formerly just a small fishing village named "Royale", it rapidly became fashionable as a tourist destinationTourist destination
A tourist destination is a city, town, or other area that is dependent to a significant extent on the revenues accruing from tourism. It may contain one or more tourist attractions and possibly some "tourist traps."...
during the Second Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
. However the subsequent rise in popularity of Le Touquet meant a loss in custom for Royale. A parallel is drawn between the history of Royale and that of Trouville
Trouville-sur-Mer
Trouville-sur-Mer, commonly referred to as Trouville, is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.Trouville-sur-Mer borders Deauville...
, a once-popular destination which was eclipsed by Deauville
Deauville
Deauville is a commune in the Calvados département in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.With its racecourse, harbour, international film festival, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino and sumptuous hotels, Deauville is regarded as the "queen of the Norman beaches" and...
. The fortunes of Royale seemed to be recovering at the turn of the century
Turn of the century
Turn of the century, in its broadest sense, refers to the transition from one century to another. The term is most often used to indicate a non-specific time period either before or after the beginning of a century....
, when a spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
in the hills behind the town was found to contain enough sulphur to make it marketable as mineral water
Mineral water
Mineral water is water containing minerals or other dissolved substances that alter its taste or give it therapeutic value, generally obtained from a naturally occurring mineral spring or source. Dissolved substances in the water may include various salts and sulfur compounds...
. Royale reinvented itself as a spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
, renamed itself "Royale-les-Eaux" and began exporting "Eau Royale", in a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
-shaped bottle. This success was short-lived, and following lawsuits from Vichy, Perrier
Perrier
Perrier is a brand of bottled mineral water made from a spring in Vergèze in the Gard département of France. The spring is naturally carbonated...
and Vittel
Vittel (water)
Vittel is a French brand of bottled water sold in many countries. Since 1992 it has been owned by Nestlé.Mineral water from the source at Vittel has been bottled and made available for curative and, increasingly, for commercial purposes since 1854....
sale of Eau Royale became merely local once more. The town thereafter survived on seaside holidaymakers in the summer and its small fishing fleet
Fishing fleet
A fishing fleet is an aggregate of commercial fishing vessels. The term may be used of all vessels operating out of a particular port, all vessels engaged in a particular type of fishing , or all fishing vessels of a country or region.Although fishing vessels are not formally organized as if they...
in the winter, as well as "the crumbs which fell to its elegantly dilapidated Casino from the table at Le Touquet".
Royale's renaissance came after the Second World War. Encouraged by the post-war revival of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
and Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, in 1950 Royale-les-Eaux was identified as a potential source of revenue by a Paris syndicate which invested funds on behalf of exiled Vichyites. The Casino, the public gardens and the two main hotels were refurbished and Paris jewellers and couturiers were given rent-free sites on which to establish branches. For the year in which the events of Casino Royale take place, the Société des Bains de Mer de Royale has succeeded in securing bookings from "a considerable number of the biggest operators in America and Europe", and leased some of the baccarat
Baccarat
Baccarat is a card game, played at casinos and by gamblers. It is believed to have been introduced into France from Italy during the reign of King Charles VIII , and it is similar to Faro and Basset...
tables to a group of Egyptians, the Mahomet Ali Syndicate. This is the context in which Casino Royale opens.