- The ex-financier died from a single gunshot, according to a Gloucester coroner
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Lady Gabriella Windsor’s husband Thomas Kingston died from a ‘traumatic head wound’ and a gun was found near his body an outbuilding of his parents’ Cotswolds home, an inquest has heard.
Thomas Kingston, 45, was found dead at his family’s country mansion on Sunday evening and a post mortem has revealed the cause of death as a single gunshot.
Police and paramedics had been called to the scene after a member of the family made a 999 call. Police said Mr Kingston’s death was not suspicious.
His widow Lady Windsor had paid tribute to her financier husband in a joint statement with his family, describing him as an ‘exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him’.
They described his death as a ‘great shock to the whole family’.
Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, shot himself, an inquest heard
The couple are pictured here at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in July 2019
Mr Kingston watched racing alongside Queen Camilla from the Royal Box at Ascot last June
Buckingham Palace announced Mr Kingston, 45, died suddenly on February 25 at an address in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire.
Paramedics were called to the large, detached home at around 6pm on Sunday.
The King and Queen sent their ‘most heartfelt thoughts and prayers’ to Lady Gabriella, who is known as Ella, and Mr Kingston’s parents and siblings.
A statement released on behalf of Lady Gabriella Kingston, Mr Martin and Mrs Jill Kingston, Mrs Joanna Connolly and Mrs Emma Murray, 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.’
Lady Gabriella 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.
The couple married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 2019 with Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, among the guests.
Lady Gabriella Kingston and Thomas Kingston at Nicky Haslam’s birthday party at The Polish Hearth Club, London, in November 2019
Kingston, pictured here on the day of his wedding to Lady Gabriella Windsor, lived a remarkable life
Lady Gabriella and Thomas Kingston had official photos taken on their wedding day – here with the late Queen and Prince Philip sat to the right of them
The death of Lady Gabriella Windsor’s husband Thomas Kingston (pictured together in 2019) was announced by Buckingham Palace
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 is the King’s second cousin. They are both great-grandchildren of King George V.
Mr Kingston was a director of Devonport Capital, which specialises in providing finance for companies in ‘frontier economies’.
The Bristol University graduate had also worked in Baghdad, Iraq, working to procure the release of hostages after joining the Diplomatic Missions Unit of the Foreign Office.
He was a close friend of Pippa Matthews – the Princess of Wales’s sister – and the pair were said to have dated in 2011.
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.
Friends of Thomas Kingston have been left shocked by his death as they told how he and Lady Gabriella were ‘happily married until the end’.
They were last pictured in public together on Valentine’s Day at an event to celebrate the works of William Shakespeare.
Lady Gabriella Windsor and Tom Kingston attending the Jerudong Trophy polo match at Cirencester Park Polo Club in June 2016
Kingston pictured alongside Lady Gabriella Windsor at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, 2022
Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston are pictured at Royal Ascot in June last year
The couple are seen here at the Jungle Part at Annabel’s in London in September 2018
Their wedding was in Windsor on May 18, 2019
No funeral plans have been released so far.
Lady Gabriella’s parents Prince and Princess Michael of Kent attended a service for the late King Constantine II of Greece on Tuesday in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
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 his absence was because of a personal matter and was understood not to be connected to news of Mr Kingston’s death.
If feeling in need of help, call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org.