Buckingham Palace has announced the death of Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston, the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent. Tuesday night, his widow Lady Gabriella honored her financier husband by calling him an “exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him.”
After learning of Lady Gabriella’s untimely death, the King—who is a second cousin—sent her family his “most heartfelt thoughts and prayers.”
After her niece Isabella Windsor, Lady Gabriella is presently ranked 56th in the line of succession to the British throne.
In a statement, Lady Gabriella, Mr. Martin, Mrs. Jill Kingston, Mrs. Joanna Connolly, and Mrs. Emma Murray said: “We announce the death of Thomas Kingston, our beloved husband, son, and brother, with the utmost sorrow.”
“Tom was a remarkable individual who brought joy to everyone in his presence.” The entire family is shocked by his death, and we kindly ask that you respect our privacy while we grieve.
The Prince of Wales reportedly withdrew from a Tuesday memorial service for his godfather, King Constantine II, which was attended by Lady Gabriella’s parents, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, without citing the financier’s passing.
On Sunday night, Kingston, 45, was discovered deceased at a Cotswolds address. It wasn’t long after 6 o’clock when emergency personnel were summoned to the scene.
The cause of death will be determined through an inquest; however, no suspicious circumstances exist, and no other parties are believed to have been involved.
“The King and the Queen have been informed of Thomas’s death and join Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and all those who knew him in grieving a much-loved member of the family,” a spokesman for Buckingham Palace stated.
“Their Majesties extend their deepest condolences and best wishes to Gabriella and the entire Kingston family in particular.”
Lady Gabriella shared a private photo she had taken of her husband, who was smiling and standing next to a body of water in the sun while wearing a loose pink shirt.
Since Prince Michael of Kent and the Queen’s fathers were brothers, Lady Gabriella is King Charles’s second cousin. At birth, Ella, as she was called by her friends, was the eighteenth in line for the throne.
In 2019, Lady Gabriella wed financier Kingston. Prince Harry and Queen Elizabeth II were among the senior members of the royal family present at the private ceremony held in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
At the ceremony, the late Duke of Edinburgh also made an uncommon public appearance. After dating for a number of years, the couple got engaged in the summer of 2018 when Thomas proposed on a trip to the Isle of Sark.
The couple’s final image was captured on Valentine’s Day, when they were dressed in identical royal-blue and black costumes for a Shakespeare celebration at Grosvenor House, which Queen Camilla also attended.
Mr. Kingston held a director position at Devonport Capital, a firm that specializes in offering access to expansion financing and liquidity-bridging solutions to businesses in developing nations or post-conflict settings.
The Bristol University alumnus had previously worked to secure hostages’ release in Iraq after joining the Foreign Office’s diplomatic missions unit.
Kingston and Pippa Middleton are still close friends despite their past relationship. In May 2017, Kingston and Lady Gabriella were present at Ms. Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews.
Prior to the news of Kingston’s passing on Tuesday, her parents, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, had joined other members of the British royal family at a memorial service for the late King Constantine II of Greece.
According to the UK’s PA Media news agency, Lady Gabriella’s godfather was Constantine, who passed away in January of last year.
Due to a personal matter, Prince William, who was also the late Greek monarch’s godchild, was unable to attend the last-minute memorial service at St. George’s. It is understood, nevertheless, that the Prince of Wales’s absence had nothing to do with the passing of Kingston.
According to Gloucestershire Constabulary, the ambulance service contacted them regarding Kingston’s death.
