Sad news in England & For the British Royal Family. Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and son-in-law of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, has died suddenly aged 45, Buckingham Palace has announced. Mr Kingston, who married into the Royal Family in 2019, was found dead at an address in Gloucestershire on Sunday evening, with emergency services called to the scene shortly after 6pm. Only last Wednesday, Lady Gabriella - who is 56th in line to the throne - and Mr Kingston - a financier and former hostage negotiator - were seen together at an event at the National Gallery in London.
Lady Gabriella paid tribute to her late husband in a joint statement with his family, describing him as an 'exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him'. His tragic death was described as a 'great shock to the whole family'.
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, who is not a working member of the Royal Family, released a personal photo she took of her husband, showing him smiling and dressed in a casual pink shirt as he stood near a stretch of water in the sunshine.
In a statement with Mr Kingston's family, she said: '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.'
The heartbreaking news has plunged the Royal Family into mourning, with King Charles and Queen Camilla sending their 'most heartfelt thoughts and prayers' to Lady Kingston, who is known as Ella, and Mr Kingston's family.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson 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.'
Lady Gabriella's parents, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, put on brave faces today as they attended the memorial for King Constantine of Greece at St George's Chapel in Windsor today - less than 48 hours after Mr Kingston's death.
Prince Michael, 81, is the grandson of King George V and was first cousins with the late Queen Elizabeth II. Constantine was Lady Gabriella's godfather and attended her wedding.
The Prince of Wales, also a godchild of the former Greek monarch, pulled out of attending at the last minute but this was understood not to be connected to news of Mr Kingston's death. Kensington Palace had revealed earlier in the day that the Prince of Wales had pulled out of the memorial service due to a personal matter.
Mr Kingston married into the royal family after a summer proposal on the island of Sark almost six years ago. After years of dating, the pair tied the knot at St George's Chapel in 2019 at a wedding with guests including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Prince Harry.
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.
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 once said,'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.
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 said: '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.
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. Although Lady Gabriella is not a working member of the royal family, she and Mr Kingston's family are being supported by the Royal Household through this difficult time.
No funeral plans have been released so far.
The shock news of Mr Kingston's death comes as members of the Royal Family attended a thanksgiving service for the late King Constantine.
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.
