The palace announced on Sunday, 25 February 2024, that Thomas Kingston, Lady Gabriella Kingston’s husband and son-in-law of the late Queen’s cousin, had passed away at the age of 45.
An inquest into the death of Mr Kingston found that he died from a ‘traumatic head wound’ with a gun also being found at the scene near his body, according to the BBC and The Guardian. The death had taken place at the Cotswolds home of his parents in an outbuilding on the property.
In a statement to the recently held inquest by senior coroner Katy Skerrett, Mr Kingston was visiting his parents when the incident occurred. Miss Skerrett stated, “On 25 February 2024, he ate lunch with his parents. His father went out to walk the dogs. On his return, Mr Kingston was not in the house, and after approximately 30 minutes, his mother went to look for him. His father forced entry on a locked outbuilding when no reply could be gained. He found Mr Kingston deceased with a catastrophic head injury. A gun was present at the scene. Emergency services were called.”
The statement by the senior coroner also said that “Police are satisfied the death is not suspicious” and that a post-mortem will be conducted on the body to further investigate the circumstances in more detail at a later date.
The death of Mr Kingston comes only four years after he married at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in May 2019, with her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in attendance.
A joint statement released on behalf of Lady Gabriella and members of the Kingston family read, “Tom was an exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him. His death had come as a great shock to the whole family, and we ask you to respect our privacy as we mourn his passing.”
Lady Gabriella, whose great-grandfather is the former British King George V, released a personal photo of her husband that she had taken and is said to be receiving the support of her family at this difficult time.
After news of the sudden passing was released to the public by Buckingham Palace, King Charles and Queen Camilla sent their “most heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Gabriella and all the Kingston family. He was described by the palace in a statement on Tuesday, 27 February as a “much-loved member of the family.”
King Charles, who is currently recovering at home from his recent cancer diagnosis, was also unable to attend a memorial service to the former King of Greece, the late King Constantine, taking place the same day the news was announced. King Constantine was honoured with an intimate ceremony attended by members of the British Royal Family, the former Greek royal family, Danish royals, and many other members of the European aristocracy. The ceremony was held in the same building where Lady Gabriella and Mr Kingston tied the knot in May 2019.
Prince William also pulled out of the service of his late godfather only hours before it, in which he was due to give a reading. It is unclear if the circumstances are related; however, Palace officials described the reasoning as a “personal matter.”
Before his passing, Mr Kingston had attended Bristol University and was a director for Devonport Capital. The firm “provides finance to developed market companies exporting to, or operating in, the emerging economies,” according to its website.
Editor: Vidhi Dujodwala
Photo Credit: Royal Family
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