Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	Sep. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Class A - Common stock
Royal Bancshares of Pennsylvania, Inc. equity:
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 2	$ 2
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	40,000,000	40,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	28,341,078	28,242,055
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	28,010,047	27,887,024
Treasury stock, shares (in shares)	331,031	355,031
Class B - Common stock
Royal Bancshares of Pennsylvania, Inc. equity:
Common stock, par value (in dollars per share)	$ 0.10	$ 0.10
Common stock, shares authorized (in shares)	3,000,000	3,000,000
Common stock, shares issued (in shares)	1,857,072	1,924,629
Common Stock, Shares, Outstanding	1,857,072	1,924,629