[1] Apart from two years of military service during the Second World War, his entire 60-year career was effectively spent with what became the Royal Ballet organisation, until his final retirement from the stage in 1993.
His niche, however, was in "the meatier roles in the mime and character repertory" such as the Red King in De Valois's Checkmate and as the American tourist in Massine's La Boutique fantasque.
[1] Edwards's success grew, however, after Frederick Ashton created the amiable role of Arthur for him in his A Wedding Bouquet of 1937.
Here he assisted many emerging British choreographers, including Ronald Hynd, Geoffrey Cauley, David Bintley and Michael Corder.
He was described as "gentle, unassuming, kindly, very distinguished in bearing – a senior civil servant among dancers – yet happily possessed of a wicked but never malicious sense of humour".