Thomas Kingston: Husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter Lady Gabriella Kingston dies

Thomas Kingston, the husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter Lady Gabriella Kingston, has died 'suddenly' aged 45, Buckingham Palace has announced.

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 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”.

Mr Kingston was found dead at an address in Gloucestershire on Sunday (February 25) 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 involved.

A statement 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.”

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. Rumors suggested they were romantically involved 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 through this difficult time.

No funeral plans have been released so far.