Royal No. 5 (c.1911)

Flat and fabulous. These early machines were often called the Flatbeds, due to their very low profiles. Company founder EB Hess collected over 140 different patents as he developed the Royal line of typewriters, and when the No. 5 hit the market as a follow-up to his extraordinary Royal No. 1, all the company's best innovations were in place. However, customers tended to resist the flatbed's shape, so plans were made to introduce the next model as a more upright design.