Royal Family Member Thomas Kingston's Manner Of Death Is So Heartbreaking
The following article includes mention of suicide.
On February 25, 2024, Thomas Kingston died at his family's home. Kingston was the husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston (née Windsor), whose father, Prince Michael of Kent, is a first cousin of Queen Elizabeth. Kingston's death was immediately designated as not suspicious, and an inquest has provided additional details. A coroner's office spokesperson informed People that the investigation revealed that Kingston died by suicide.
According to his friends and family, they didn't believe that Kingston was dealing with any health concerns or marital difficulties at the time of his death. "We are so upset about the news, everybody loved him. He was kind, charming, and thoroughly decent and one of the last true English gentlemen. It is beyond tragic and so hard to get one's head around," one of Kingston's close acquaintances explained to The Telegraph.
Kingston became part of the royal family when he married Lady Gabriella in May 2019 at the same place where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got married –- Windsor Castle's St. George's Chapel. Both Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were among the guests at the celebration. Four years earlier, the couple's romance began after they connected through mutual friends. On Valentine's Day 2024, Kingston and Lady Gabriella were photographed as they attended a Shakespearean celebration with Queen Camilla.
Before he was a financier, Thomas Kingston worked in a war zone
After studying economic history, Thomas Kingston embarked on a diplomatic career, which included working in Iraq with the International Centre for Reconciliation. Kingston served as a hostage negotiator and worked with St. George's Church there. "We were regularly caught up in IED [improvised explosive device] attacks. Cars would blow up in front of us and we would just move on," Canon White, a former minister of St. George's, informed The Telegraph. "We were always together and had 35 armed guards at all times."
While in Iraq, Kingston connected with his future father-in-law. Working with White, Kingston assisted Prince Michael in finding and caring for his family member's grave on the Mount of Olives. After he returned to the U.K., Kingston had further connections with the royal family, when he reportedly dated Pippa Middleton, the younger sister of Catherine, Princess of Wales, around 2011.
Career-wise, he transitioned to working in finance. By 2017, he became one of two directors for the financial firm Devonport Capital and later a co-owner. Even after this career change, however, one of Kingston's friends believed that his previous work remained a lasting influence. "He's one of those guys who can be quite enigmatic and doesn't tell you what he is thinking," a friend of Kingston's explained to The Telegraph. "He's careful. Perhaps it's a legacy from the work he was doing in Iraq."
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