ROYCE RYTONRoyce Ryton, who died aged 84 on 14 April, 2009, was a British playwright best known for his historical plays about royalty.His most famous work was his 1972 play Crown Matrimonial, about theabdication of King Edward VIII, which featured the first stage portrayal of a living member of the royal family, Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.The play, depicting the friction between Edward VIII and his mother, Queen Mary of Teck, over his decision torelinquish the throneso that he could marry divorcee Wallis Simpson, enjoyed a long run in the West Endand was also produced on Broadway. In the West End,the role of Queen Mary of Teck was played by Wendy Hiller, while Patricia Routledge took on the part in a revival of the drama in 2008.Born on 16 September, 1924, Mr Ryton served with the Navy in the Second World War. He trained as an actor at the Webber-Douglas School of Dramatic Art in London before performing on the repertory and touring circuits.He began to concentrate on writing in the 1960s and had success with plays like The Painted Face and Penguins Can’t which toured in Germany. In the 1970s he switched his focus to historical plays, many of which – such as Queen Victoria's Grand-daughters (1976), The Anastasia File (1978) and The Royal Baccarat Scandal (1989) – had a royal theme.Mr Ryton was survived by his actress wife Morar Kennedy, whom he married in 1954, and their daughter Charlotte.
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