Royce Ryton

Royce Thomas Carlisle Ryton (16 September 1924 – 14 April 2009 ) was an English playwright. He was educated at Lancing College. During the war he served in the Royal Navy; afterward, he went to train as an actor at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art. As an actor, he played in many repertory theatres, including Bromley, Minehead, and Worthing. He also toured extensively. Over the years he worked less as an actor so he could concentrate on his writing. Initially, he had some success with comedies (which were particularly well received in Germany), but later he became fascinated with the interaction of the private and public lives of royalty and politicians.

He was married to Morar Kennedy (sister of Ludovic Kennedy) from 1955 until his death, aged 84; they have a daughter, Charlotte. Morar has a son, Roderick Orr-Ewing, from her first marriage.

With Crown Matrimonial (1972), Ryton achieved an historical first – the serious portrayal of a living member of the Royal Family (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) on the stage. It is about the Abdication crisis of 1936. The play was Ryton's most successful work and has been performed on Broadway and the West End. In the West End, the central portrayals of Queen Mary and Edward VIII were played by Wendy Hiller and Peter Barkworth. Most recently Queen Mary was played by Patricia Routledge.

Ryton continued his 'Royal-theme' in 1981 with the comedy (co-written with Ray Cooney), Her Royal Highness, about a double having to stand-in for Lady Diana Spencer when she loses her nerve and disappears, one week before the Royal Wedding. It ran successfully at the Palace Theatre in London's West End from 1981 to 1982.