Thomas Kingston, the husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter Lady Gabriella Kingston, has died, Buckingham Palace has announced.
His widow Lady Gabriella paid tribute to her financier husband on Tuesday night, describing him as an “exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him”.
The King, who is a second cousin of Lady Gabriella, sent his “most heartfelt thoughts and prayers” to her family after news broke of the sudden death.
Lady Gabriella is currently 56th in the line of succession to the British throne behind her niece, Isabella Windsor.
A statement on behalf of Lady Gabriella, 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.”
According to reports, the financier’s death is not believed to be the reason why the Prince of Wales pulled out of a memorial service on Tuesday for his godfather King Constantine II, which was attended by Lady Gabriella’s parents Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.
Kingston, 45, was found dead at an address in the Cotswolds on Sunday evening. Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 6pm.
An inquest will be held to establish the cause of death but there are no suspicious circumstances and no other parties are thought to have been involved.
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 released a personal photo she had taken of her husband, showing him smiling and dressed in a casual pink shirt as he stood near a stretch of water in the sunshine.
As their fathers were brothers, the Queen and Prince Michael of Kent were cousins, meaning Lady Gabriella is a second cousin of King Charles. Known as Ella to friends, at her birth she was 18th in line to the throne.
Lady Gabriella married financier Kingston in 2019. The intimate ceremony in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle was attended by several senior members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry.
The late Duke of Edinburgh also made a rare public appearance at the ceremony.
The couple got engaged in the summer of 2018 after having dated for several years, with Thomas proposing during a trip to the Isle of Sark.
The last photo of the couple was taken on Valentine’s Day as they wore matching royal-blue and black outfits at an event to celebrate Shakespeare held at Grosvenor House, which Queen Camilla also attended.
Mr Kingston was a director at Devonport Capital, which specialises in supporting companies in emerging economies or post-conflict environments by providing access to expansion finance and liquidity-bridging solutions.
The Bristol University graduate had also previously worked to secure the release of hostages in Iraq after joining the diplomatic missions unit of the Foreign Office.
Kingston had previously dated Pippa Middleton , with the pair remaining close friends. Kingston and Lady Gabriella attended Ms Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews in May 2017.
Gloucestershire Constabulary has said it was called by the ambulance service about the death of 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.”
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