Description
Royal Delight offers an interesting story. From the Creed website: The story of CREED Royal Delight is a story of romance and escape. A year after the death of the King of Spain, his widow, the Queen, commissioned a fragrance from CREED for the new man she would marry in secret, a royal guard. In those days, royal widows were not to remarry.
Royal Delight is a leathery-floral fragrance the Queen’s new husband loved and wore. With this gift of scent, the couple did live happily ever after, although news of their marriage caused scandal and forced the Queen from her throne.
The top notes of Royal Delight include tangerine and bergamot. Jasmine and violet form the middle, while ambergris and leather round out the base. Royal Delight was launched in 1993. The nose behind this fragrance is Olivier Creed Sixth Generation.
Scediecorse – :
Creed Royal Delight is a somewhat less discussed discontinued EDT-era offering, a creamy, sweet, floral/leather mix.
It’s a mix of citruses, florals, leather, and ambergris, and it’s unclear what makes the blend slightly sweet. Perhaps it’s just the ambergris mixing with the florals and citrus in a certain way, as surely the leather would contrast this.
The leather is subtle, though, a base at the bottom at what more strikes me like a wood-based blend, with lasting citrus and the violet/jasmine blend assists without overwhelming. Violet perhaps adds the perfect amount of sharpness, just as it does in Green Irish Tweed, without really taking over or distracting.
Royal Delight reminds me of a lot of Original Santal, not so much in terms of the actual notes but in terms of sweet, creamy, citrus, woody vibe that I get out of both.
Performance is very good and the fragrance is highly versatile, but I believe it fetches a pretty penny since it’s been discontinued. Still, a great entry from the line and another example of a discontinued that perhaps shouldn’t have been, though ultimately I do get the same mood from Original Santal. From what I can tell, though, I’m on an island with that perspective, though.
8 out of 10
eduard asdf – :
Wow. This is heavy sweet raw wrong. Smells like I had an accident. I love it.
ngppuiszbh – :
Yes, it’s similar to Joop! Femme, at least my vintage bottle of it, and so, yes, I swapped it off and kept the Jopp! Femme, which cost $10 or so. And yes, it’s a somewhat odd composition, though otherwise I’m not sure what it would be that would interest me. Do we need another English Leather? Do we need another sweet and “big” floral? It’s one of those scents that most might call love it or hate it, but even if you do love it, you might not wear it often, and so that’s why I think Joop! Femme would be the better option for most who like this kind of composition. You could always layer to make it more “masculine.” But of course if this is the exact composition you want, then buy it while it’s still available!
koresch1992 – :
I have 3 Full Presentation 1oz bottles if anybody is interested . As for the fragrance , it’s very feminine to me, but does dry down nicely to a leather scent. Can’t say much more about it as I have never fully work it, just sampled on my wrists.
bosssp – :
As many have said before this perfume smells a bit feminine when sprayed at tge beginning. After just a few minutes it changes it’s course completely in my oppinion. It is the time when the rich florals comes in. It is a very complex, spicy and rich smell. The longevity is good also. So far this fragrance exceeded my expectations. The bad part: is dicontinued and the ones you find on ebay are ridiculously expensive
avov1971 – :
This was my first real, grown up fragrance, gifted to me by an uncle who wore either this or Hoyt’s Cologne, or GIT for years. Equal parts bergamot, jasmine, rose, violet, amber, and musk. Bot horribly old fashioned and devastatingly modern, feminine yet manly. Was gorgeous stuff.
wain – :
I give this a tremendous thumbs up!!! I really enjoy this fragrance. I have been so intrigued and fortunate by the Creed line. This brand of fragrances are simply amazing!
As for Royal Delight, as I read through many reviews I was a bit hesitant with the many that suggested this fragrance to be feminine. Once I received RD, at first I was shocked and thought…those reviews were right. However, after the dry down…WHAT A SURPRISED SHOCKER!!!
Yes, at first spray you will think more feminine, but once you let it evolve you will be truly amazed!! I am not very scent savvy so I can not descriptively give those notes, however, this fragrance is somewhat sweet and leathery yet, very masculine!! This is slightly reminiscent of JOOP as well as Original Santal, however Royal Delight is its own scent.
Give Royal Delight a chance, won’t you???
ephemaVasia – :
Opulent, delicious, royal.
An old smell from 1800s, heavy, rich and sweet at the same time. The jasmine is present but the leather is overpowering it. This is maybe what use to be a festive classy gourmand at that time.The fragrance best suits a king at night, giving a fastuous dinner with all members of the court. Royal Delight is a good experience if you want to smell the ardor of love too. The comment from ArkangeL describes the whle story behind this fragrance.
serg_mlt – :
The Creed’s perfume is quite very good sillage & longevity.
I got it from a credible seller on Ebay. Jasmine and leather in the fragrance are well balanced and relatively prominent. It’s citrus on top notes quickly fade within 2-3 minutes on my skin that’s why I love the perfume because I don’t quite like citrus note. Sometimes, I smelt some sweet powdery notes from the fragrance because of violet flower.
So, people who love mix of floral powdery & leather notes should collect it before this gem will disappear from markets in the future.
imp883 – :
love that one, I use this,for being unisex but I feel ashamed sometimes as this is much more suitable for women than to me, a man, its Joop femme all over, an opulent floral voluptuous and rich
desazar – :
I actually wrote two reviews for this and I’m damned if I’m going to waste one so here’s both…enjoy!
Review 1
I knew nothing of royal delight… not a thing, just kinda expected another well put together but ultimately underwhelming Creed scent.
Now I may have come across, especially in recent reviews as a bit of a Creed basher but I’m actually quite a fan of this accessible house.
It’s just that I’m not a fan of their lies!
Anyway…moving on.
Instant thoughts on the top notes a very realistic tangerine orange, I said Tangerine instead of mandarin/orange etc…(even though they smell almost identical.) and that’s apparently what it is…more of a lucky guess really.
Then a strong floral musk…I mean it’s really musky but fresh and pleasant like many creeds.
The first thing I said was ‘musky tangerine with some white florals’
That would be the jasmine which is key in making this scent more delicate and sweeter rather than bitter and waxy.
Another way to describe it is a semi bitter orange, floral, musk like a Terre d’Hermes flavoured Musc ravegeur.
Imagine that!?!?!?
I actually really love it!
The freshness of the top notes, the elegance of jasmine the sophistication of ambergris and musk this actually feels classy or Royal.
I don’t however subscribe to this bullshit…
‘…the Queen, commissioned a fragrance from CREED for the new man she would marry in secret, a royal guard.”
Why Creed perpetuate these lies (well I know why it wouldn’t be the same brand otherwise!) …it frustrates the hell outta me!!!
Yeah so….this stuff is good.
Review 2
This scent actually delivers the notes promised here, I had no idea what royal delight would smell like, I’d thought maybe a light musky citrus fruit affair like royal water but it’s not really.
The opening is a very dirty unsweetened white floral which is unmistakably jasmine but set against this backdrop of leather, making it almost animal and musky. Not an opening I completely enjoy but that’s the challenge of this scent. Royal delight is a sibling or at least a cousin of royal English leather in terms of the overall mixture of leather and signature Creed ambergris. Oddly enough the orange (or tangerine specifically) comes out more in the drydown or at least when it’s settled, which is a pleasant thing and in fact is probably my favourite element but by itself wouldn’t present the interest of the fragrance as a whole.
This is my second wear of Royal delight, my first impressions were that I loved it…hmmmm… not sure if I feel the same way now?
Leather softens in the drydown and the jasmin sweetens a touch making the whole thing more palatable to me. I really don’t think it leans either way in terms of gender and performance is not bad.
A shaky but intresting dirty floral start leading into a pretty good fragrance when all is said and done.
yantarik – :
Bottle cap has a flowery scent, perhaps violet. The initial spray is smoky with flower background. A minute later smoke develops more fully. In a few minutes later smoke equalizes and flowers reappear stronger. Feels like walking around in a field.
Slowly leather emerges- very realistic – as if actually wearing a leather jacket. At about ten minutes, the first hints of ambergris appear with a stronger flowery leather tone. The scent is similar to but one octave “higher” than the stopper on my Royal English Leather bottle.
At 20 minutes leather and smoke overtake the still present flower tones and the fragrance could be considered unisex past this point. Agree with other reviewers that opening is feminine.
At 25 minutes becomes more similar to Royal English leather, but agreeable and pleasing, perhaps the brutality of REL softened by fleeting jasmine notes. A very soothing and pleasing drydown unobtrusively continues. The drydown could also be vaguely remniscent of a “sweeter” version of Royal Oud.
It’s a shame that this is yet another vaulted fragrance. The interplay between the floral and base notes is an intricate symphony. There is a tug of war between them, each side winning for brief period. I feel that all the notes are perfectly balanced.
soer – :
Pretty, inoffensive and lovable oriental.
I would characterize it as somewhat gourmet attempt on leather that is somewhere in between Traversee du Bosphore and Chanel Cuir de Russie; less sweet and synthetic-smelling than the 1st one, not as nearly deep and sophisticated-smelling as the latter.
I will always decisively say YES to the soft, supple leather enriched with luscious jasmine, but in this particular department where Cuir de Russie is defining the depth and the dimensions of sheer beauty, this fancy stuff is merely scratching the surface…
Nice, but for me not (full bottle) nice enough.
vladro – :
Interesting jasmine-leather combo. Somehow reminds me of the often seen juxtaposition between soft feminine and hard masculine edge. Embarrassing as it is to admit, I immediately thought of a female dominatrix clad in slick black leather. Warm tangerine in the opening is too fleeting for my tastes. Definitely geared more toward female aesthetic (would not deem this unisex by any stretch of the imagination). (63)
hti685bedyWelty – :
This has been my signature scent for nearly 20 years — I adore it! But alas — Creed has recently vaulted (i.e. discontinued selling) the fragrance, so until they bring it back (oh I hope) I’ll have to make do with Jasmine Imperatrice Eugenie.
mimka – :
In Spain during the 1800s it was forbidden for widows to remarry, but a year after King Fernando’s death Queen Maria Cristina fell in love with former Royal Guard, Augustín Fernández Muñoz. Maria Cristina commissioned a fragrance from Creed for her new found love to wear while reciting his vows and for the remainder of his days. The Queen and Muñoz eventually secretly marry and run off together, living happily ever after.
Whatever happened to real love? The type of love where risks are taken, rules are broken and sacrifices are made. This woman ordered that a fragrance be created from a very prestigious perfume house in the name of the man she loved.
The sparkling citrus sets the tone of the relationship. The floral notes represents a fairytale romance. Leather and amber interprets the burning desire that existed between them. This is a perfume built from the ardor of love and that is what truly makes Royal Delight so unique.
kinchka70 – :
It smells good but just to feminine and makes you feel like you have visited a French Boudoir. Would smell better on a women but I would not wear it.
мкот – :
I cannot help but chuckle at TheNoseKnows’ evaluation of Creed ROYAL DELIGHT: “Heavy. Too complex. Confusing. Stinky. Smoky.”
Hmmm… sounds like a list of required qualities for wintertime orientals to me. TNK must dislike many, many perfumes in this category!
As for me, I appreciate a heavy, complex, confusing, stinky, and smoky oriental now and then. True, ROYAL DELIGHT needs a light hand to be appreciated, and the wearer (and anyone likely to be in the vicinity) needs very much to love spices. But if you don’t like spicy elixirs, there’s no point in vainly wasting your time on oriental perfumes!
ROYAL DELIGHT is a classic member of its category, with great staying power, a mysterious darkness (rather smoky and “stinky” thanks to the leather note…) and substantial sillage. The light florals mingle enticingly with the spices, sandalwood and amber to produce an inviting perfume to my nose. Heavy. Complex. Confusing. Smoky. Yes, indeed.
ТУРКМЕНБАШИ – :
Another winner from creed(in my book)
I´ll start with the only downside; it didn´t last for very long.
Smokey amber. On my skin a slight toothpasty scent wich I love.Leather was not too in your face wich is good for me since I´m not a huge fan of leathers.
It has just the right amount of sweetness to work on both men and woman. I just can´t stop sniffing my arm.
I would definately be one happy girl if I found this under my christmas tree
Iros – :
I like Royal Delight more than other Creeds. It’s an unusual scent but it somehow reminds something from the ’80s, maybe Joop! Woman, I don’t know. The term “royal” is quite funny, but all Creed names sound humorous to me. It is considered a unisex scent. IMO it’s more suitable for an elegant woman with some classic style. It’s not an old scent anyway. Actually it’s quite modern and warm. It works fine with my chemistry, but only in Autumn/Winter, because it’s too heavy in the hot weather. Although the leather note which I usually dislike, RD is not strong in a bad way, not harsh or too dry. Of course it’s not a girlish frilly feminine floral! I smell a distinct smell of violet and orange peel.
It envelops my neck like a warm, round soft scarf on windy days. It’s one of the few scents I’ve been complimented mostly by women.
I used up my decant and it’s definitely on the expensive side, so no re-purchase.
-=RapiRa=- – :
Heavy. Too complex. Confusing. Stinky. Smoky. Just too much. Lies in film on skin about 2 inches thick. Must flee from scent. Quickly, hop in shower, wash off, and never look back, not at least until I am old and aged, at which time I would still hate it. “Royal?” My a&^%s; there is nothing royal about this. Nice packaging though. I wanted so to feel equestrian, at last. No go.