Originally founded in 1791 during the French colonial period, the first stone of the school's current building at Cassis was laid by Princess Margaret during her first visit to Mauritius in 1956.

[1] In the past, it admitted boys having achieved brilliant results at the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) exams, based on national rankings.

RCPL has a tradition of Higher School Certificate (HSC) laureates who compete for state scholarships for tertiary studies abroad.

On 1 October 1912, the foundation stone was laid in Curepipe by Director of Public Works Paul Le Juge de Segrais.

As the island's population grew significantly and to reduce commuting times for students living in the northern part of Mauritius and Port Louis the government built a second and brand-new college at a location close to the capital.

Thus, in 1956, during her visit to the island Princess Margaret laid the first stone for the new and ultimate building of Royal College Port Louis.

In 1973, the Royal College Port Louis was honorably chosen to host the OCAMM Summit ('Organisation Commune Africaine, Malgache et Mauricienne').

1979 marked the history of Royal College Port Louis as the school's 50th anniversary was celebrated with great pomp, with some of the highest dignitaries of the island, including the then Prime Minister.