Most of his films were silents made before the First World War, during the last year of which he served as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps and was awarded the Military Cross.

[1] He was educated at Lynton College and also privately and first appeared on the stage on 19 December 1910 in a revival of Maurice Maeterlinck's play The Blue Bird at the Haymarket Theatre.

[1] Under his real name of Roy Crowden, in the later stages of the First World War he was commissioned into the British Army as a temporary second lieutenant and joined the Royal Flying Corps.

[3]After the war Royston briefly resumed his early career in silent films, playing leading roles in Mr. Wu (1919) and The Magistrate (1921), but he then turned his attention to the possibilities of musical theatre.

Cochran's London production of the hit Broadway musical Little Nellie Kelly,[5] which had a long run at the New Oxford Theatre between July 1923 and February 1924.

In the show Royston played the part of New York millionaire and man about town Jack Lloyd, who is hot in pursuit of Nellie but is pipped at the post by an Irish-American labourer.

In 1930 Royston starred opposite Lillian Hall-Davis in Michael Balcon's British musical film Just for a Song,[10] and in 1935 he appeared on screen again in the comedy The Big Splash.

Following a leading part in Going Greek (1937), in 1938 Royston starred in Douglas Furber's Running Riot as a film stunt man in love with an out-of-work actress.