On Tuesday, Prince William joined a group of 140 mourners in London to honor the life of Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston, who died February 25 at age 45. The funeral took place at Chapel Royal, a small chapel in St. James’s Palace, and other royal guests including Gabriella’s parents, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra. Thomas’ parents, Martin and Jill Kingston and his two sisters, Joanna Connolly and Emma Murray, were also present.
According to SkyNews, Kingston’s casket traveled from Kensington Palace to the Chapel Royal before the hour-long service began at 11:30 am. The BBC reports that the service was followed by a reception at St. James’s Palace and a private cremation.
Kingston’s death was announced in a joint statement from Gabriella and the Kingston family, which was sent through Buckingham Palace two days later. It described him as “an exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him.” The palace also sent condolences from King Charles III and Queen Camilla. A coroner later stated that he died of a “catastrophic head wound” and was found alongside a gun at his parent’s property in the Cotswolds.
Raised in Evesham, Worcestershire, Kingston graduated from Bristol University and spent years as a hostage negotiator in Iraq as a part of the Diplomatic Missions Unit of the Foreign Office. At the time of his death, he was a director at Devonport Capital. Though he was seen at royal events alongside friend Pippa Middleton in the early 2010s, Kingston became a member of the royal family when he married Lady Gabriella, a second cousin of King Charles III, in a May 2019 ceremony at St George’s Chapel in Windsor. Gabriella and Prince William were both godchildren of the King Constantine II of Greece, and she represented him at the late king’s funeral in January 2023.
Though neither Thomas nor Gabriella served as working royals, they often attended events with the family and were last photographed with the king at Royal Ascot in June 2023. The couple had no children.
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