# Lance Royle

**Lance Royle** was the used name of Lancelot Carrington Royle (31 May 1898 – 19 June 1978), a British sprinter who won a silver medal in the men's 4 × 100 meters relay at the 1924 Paris Olympics and later became a senior executive in British retailing.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> He competed for the Surrey Athletic Club of Kingston-upon-Thames and represented Great Britain.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Lancelot Carrington "Lance" Royle<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> |
| Born / died | 31 May 1898, Barnet, England; 19 June 1978, London (aged 80)<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> |
| Olympic medal | Silver, men's 4 × 100 m relay, 1924 Paris, as part of a British team that bettered the UK record in each of its three outings<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> |
| Other 1924 event | 100 meters, third in his semifinal heat (3 h6 r2/4)<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> |
| Club | Surrey AC, Kingston-upon-Thames<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> |
| Personal bests | 100 yards 10.1 (1922/24); 220 yards 22.2 (1925)<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> |
| Honors | KBE, awarded 1944<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> |

## Athletics career

Royle was educated at [Harrow School](https://www.edgepedia.org/harrow-school) and entered the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, and was commissioned into the Royal Field Artillery in 1918.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup>

**A one-afternoon feat.** In May 1920, at an Allied Forces Meeting in Paris, Royle took three first places (100, 200, and 110 hurdles), one second (triple jump), and two thirds (200 hurdles and long jump) in a single afternoon.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> He won the Army 100 yards in 1920, the Southern Counties 100 yards and 220 yards in 1923, and at the AAA Championships placed second in the 100 yards in 1922 and third in 1924.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> He was also a member of the Surrey AC medley relay team that won the AAA title three times, from 1922 to 1924.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup>

**Paris 1924.** The high point of his career came at the 1924 Summer Olympics, where he ran in the 100 meters, placing third in his semifinal heat, and anchored the British 4 × 100 meters relay squad to silver.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup> The relay team progressively improved the United Kingdom record in each of its three outings on the way to the medals.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup>

## Business career

Royle resigned his Army commission in 1921 to join Unilever, and during what Olympedia's biography calls a highly successful business career served as a director of many major business firms.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup>

He was appointed a Knight Commander of the [Order of the British Empire](https://www.edgepedia.org/order-of-the-british-empire) (KBE) in 1944.<sup>[1](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)</sup>

## References

1. [Lance Royle, Olympedia](https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/69452)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Athletics, gymnastics, and strength sports › Athletes of track and field and road running › Sprinters and hurdlers › Short sprinters › British and Commonwealth sprinters*

*Initially written Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license