Dictionary
roy'al col'ony
1. a colony ruled or administered by officials appointed by and responsible to the reigning sovereign of the parent state.
2. Amer. Hist.a colony, as New York, administered by a royal governor and council appointed by the British crown, and having a representative assembly elected by the people. Cf.
charter colony. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.