The sudden death of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s son-in-law Thomas Kingston has left the Royal Family and close friends in a state of deep shock.
The 45-year-old husband of their daughter, Lady Gabriella Windsor, was found dead at an address in Gloucestershire on Sunday evening, with emergency services called to the scene shortly after 6pm.
An inquest will be held but there are no suspicious circumstances and no other parties involved. Mr Kingston is survived by his father Martin Kingston KC, his mother Jill Mary Kingston, and his sisters, Joanna Connolly and Emma Murray.
Lady Gabriella, 42, who is 56th in line to the throne, and Mr Kingston, a financier and former hostage negotiator, were married for four years.
A close friend, who attended the couple’s stunning wedding at St George’s Chapel at Windsor in 2019, said: ‘It’s utterly shocking. None of us saw it coming. I cannot understand it.’
Another friend who spoke to the couple at a party last Wednesday at the National Gallery in London added: ‘They seemed happy and positive as ever. Ella was particularly chatty.’
The pair were last pictured together on Valentine’s Day at an event to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s First Folio attended by Queen Camilla.
Although Lady Gabriella is not a working member of the Royal Family, Buckingham Palace said it was supporting Mr Kingston’s devastated family.
It last night stepped in to announce the news on their behalf and released two photographs that Lady Gabriella and her husband’s relatives were keen to share in tribute to the man they described as being ‘exceptional’ and someone who ‘lit up the lives of all that knew him’.
Thomas Kingston was the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and the son-in-law of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent
The tragic last photo of Thomas Kingston and his wife Lady Gabriella Windsor, taken at event in London on Valentine’s Day
(L-R) Queen Camilla, King Charles, Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston are pictured watching the races at Ascot last summer
Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Lady Gabriella’s parents, both attended a memorial service today for King Constantine of Greece
The couple were seen beaming at one another at the wedding in Windsor on May 18, 2019
Lady Gabriella Windsor’s husband Thomas Kingston (pictured together in 2019) has died aged 45, Buckingham Palace has announced
Thomas Kingston was close friends with Pippa Middleton, the Princess of Wales’ sister. They are pictured here at Cheltenham Festival in 2013
In a statement, a spokesman for Their Majesties said: ‘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.
‘In particular, Their Majesties send their most heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Gabriella and to all the Kingston family’.
A second statement released by the Palace on behalf of Lady Gabriella, Thomas’s parents and his sisters, read: ‘It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the death of Thomas Kingston, our beloved husband, son and brother.
‘Tom was an exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him. His death has come as a great shock to the whole family and we ask you to respect our privacy as we mourn his passing.’
Lady Gabriella – known as Ella to her friends – and Mr Kingston’s wedding in 2019 was attended by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, as well as other senior royals.
She wore a gown by Italian designer Lucia Beccaria with her grandmother’s tiara, the Kent City of London tiara. It was also worn by her mother, Princess Michael, on her wedding day, and has been in their family since 1934.
Her father, Prince Michael, is the late Queen’s first cousin and the son of Prince George, Duke of Kent, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary.
The prince and princess, who are non-working royals, bravely appeared at today’s memorial service at St George’s Chapel for King Constantine of Greece, despite the unfolding tragedy.
It would have been a particularly distressing experience for them given that it was the scene happiness when their daughter and Mr Kingston married there four years earlier. It is understood the Prince of Wales’s absence on a personal matter was not connected to the news of Mr Kingston’s death.
Constantine was Lady Gabriella’s godfather and attended her wedding.
Mr Kingston married into the Royal Family after a summer proposal on the island of Sark almost six years ago.
It’s understood that Lady Gabriella was always a favourite of the late Queen’s and the monarch had agreed to attend the couple’s wedding ‘at once’.
Their wedding at the 15th-century venue came less than a year after the star-studded nuptials of Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May 2018 and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank in October the same year.
Lady Gabriella and Thomas Kingston have official photos taken on their wedding day. The late Queen and Prince Philip are sat to the right of them
Thomas Kingston and Queen Camilla watch the racing from the Royal Box at Ascot last summer
Mr Kingston (pictured with Lady Gabriella Kingston), 45, was found deceased at an address in Gloucestershire on Sunday evening
Thomas Kingston and Lady Gabriella Windsor are pictured at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in July 2019 (left) and at Ascot in June last year (right)
Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston attended the late Queen’s state funeral in September 2022
The couple were pictured at a Thanksgiving service for the late Prince Philip in March 2023 (left) and at a service at St Paul’s Cathedral for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June 2022 (right)
Among the guests at the service were the Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, designer Nicky Haslam and the family of the Princess of Wales, her parents Carole and Michael Middleton and siblings Pippa and James, who were joined by their partners.
The reception was held at Frogmore House, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle staged their wedding dinner.
Mr Kingston’s career was broadly focused on finance, with a range of credentials including his most recent position as a director of Devonport Capital, which specialises in providing finance for companies in ‘frontier economies’.
But the Bristol University graduate also spent time in Baghdad, Iraq, where he was working to procure the release of hostages after joining the Diplomatic Missions Unit of the Foreign Office.
He had countless narrow escapes in three action-packed years in the Iraqi capital, including escaping a suicide-bombing that claimed 22 lives.
In 2006, Mr Kingston joined Schroder’s Asset Management in London before joining Voltan Capital Management in 2012.
Five years later, Mr Kingston – who had a bachelor’s degree in economic history – became a director of Devonport Capital Ltd.
Mr Kingston was a close friend of Pippa Middleton, the Princess of Wales’ sister, who he was often seen out and about with.
In fact, the pair were said to have struck up a romance in 2011, following the end of Ms Middleton’s relationship with cricketer Alex Loudon – but he denied they ever dated.
After the rumoured romance fizzled out, he remained a regular part of Ms Middleton’s social set and the pair remained friends.
A friend of Ms Middleton previously told Daily Mail’s Richard Kay: ‘Tom is utterly charming, polite and very popular with the ladies. In fact, he is just the kind of guy you would want to introduce to your mother.’
Mr Kingston was always someone who flitted discreetly in and around royal circles. He also dated Natalie Hicks-Lobbecke, an old flame of Prince William whom he dated while working in Iraq.
Thomas Kingston and Lady Gabriella Windsor share a kiss on the steps of the chapel after their wedding at St George’s Chapel
Thomas Kingston (L) and Lady Gabriella Windsor smile after their wedding ceremony, at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle on May 18, 2019
Mr Kingston and Lady Gabriella Windsor posed on the steps of the chapel with their bridesmaids, page boys and guests after their wedding
Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston attend a memorial service for the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey on March 29, 2022
Mr Kingston, known as Tom, had been the director of Devonport Capital since 2017. He’s pictured on his wedding day here
Lady Gabirella Windsor and Thomas Kingston attend Bosphorus private book launch at Maison Assouline on December 14, 2017 (left). And the couple are seen dressing up at a Jungle Party at Annabel’s in London on September 28, 2018 (right)
Thomas Kingston is pictured with Pippa Middleton in 2014
He and Ms Hicks-Lobbecke, who is now married to baronet’s son Ed Milbank, met when both were at Bristol University.
One close friend previously told the Mail: ‘Tom’s great achievement is that none of his old girlfriends have anything but nice things to say about him. Even when it’s all over, they still like him.
‘In old-fashioned terms, he is a gentleman, just the kind of guy you want to introduce to your mother.’
A male friend also said: ‘He’s one of those guys who can be quite enigmatic and doesn’t tell you what he is thinking. He’s careful. Perhaps it’s a legacy from the work he was doing in Iraq.’
His family’s background includes a former ambassador to Denmark and a great-grandfather who was thrice mayor of Walsall in the West Midlands.
Mr Kingston was born in Evesham, Worcestershire. His QC father, a self-made man educated at a secondary modern school, has been a hugely successful barrister specialising in planning law.
The couple are seen in the back row at a Committal Service for the late Queen Elizabeth II
Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston attend Royal Ascot in 2019
Lady Gabriella, who has worked as an arts and travel director for a brand company, is a writer and contributing editor.
She is also a singer-songwriter and released two bossa-nova inspired tracks in 2020 to raise money for charity.
Described by friends as ‘sweet and literature-loving’, Lady Gabriella is a much loved member of the wider Royal Family and is frequently invited to events, occasionally appearing on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
Gloucestershire Constabulary said it was called by the ambulance service about the death of Mr Kingston.
The force said: ‘We were called by the ambulance service at 6.25pm on Sunday with a report of the death of a 45-year-old man at an address in the Cotswolds.
‘The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.’
The shock news of Mr Kingston’s death comes as members of the Royal Family attended a thanksgiving service for the late King Constantine.
The shock news of Mr Kingston’s death comes as members of the Royal Family attended a thanksgiving service for the late King Constantine. Princess Alexandra the Honourable Lady of Ogilvy, Marina Ogilvy, Prince Andrew the Duke of York, the Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Gloucester, Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Princess Royal and Queen Camilla the Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Gloucester, Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Princess Royal and Queen Camilla sat on the front row
Queen Camilla is greeted as she attends the thanksgiving service this morning
Prince Andrew; Sarah, Duchess of York; and Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence at St George’s Chapel in Windsor
Queen Camilla led the Royal Family in the absence of her husband, King Charles, who is taking a break from royal duties as he battles cancer.
Prince William, Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, were also absent from the service – but Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson did attend.
King Charles was at Windsor Castle earlier in the day but left before the service began – with the reception afterwards set to be hosted by Camilla.
Princess Kate, who also missed the service, is ‘doing well’ as she recovers from abdominal surgery.