Green’s Dictionary of Slang

royal n.1

[? fig. use of Sp. real, a coin of very low value and considered inferior to UK sterling; such individuals have low social status; the US use is prob. ignorant of such overtones]

1. (W.I., Jam.) any black person from a race other than West Indian; thus in combs. coolie royal (East Indian) and joc./derog. jackass-royal, monkey-royal.

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[WI]M. Thelwell Harder They Come 225: Why you t’ink Elsa would want a monkey-royal raas like you? [Ibid.] 227: Coolie-Roy, an inordinately handsome coolie-royal boy with a very sweet mouth and impeccable manners.

2. (W.I., also Chiney-Royal) a mixed black/Chinese person.

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[WI]M. Thelwell Harder They Come 152: You see [...] dah Chiney-Royal bwai in de corner?

3. (US black) a West Indian.

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[US](con. 1900s–20s) C. Major Juba to Jive.

4. (W.I., Trin.) the buttocks [fig. use of sense 1; in this case the physical ‘lowness’ of the buttocks].

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[US]C. Pifer ‘Executioner’ in All-America Sports Mag. Jan. 🌐 I’ll kick her nervy royal out o’ here.

In phrases

catch one’s royal (v.)

(W.I.) to have no money.

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[WI]S. Selvon ‘Calypsonian’ Foreday Morning (1989) 143: It don’t take plenty to make a tief. All you have to do now is have a fellar catching his royal, and can’t get a work noway, and bam! By the time he make two rounds he bounce something somewhere.