Thomas Kingston, the husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, has died aged 45, Buckingham Palace has announced.
Lady Gabriella, the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, paid tribute to the financier, who she wed in 2019, describing him as “an exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him”.
She said his death had come as a “great shock to the whole family”.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman 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.”
The couple married in the summer 2019 in Windsor with the Royal family in attendance – Chris Jackson/PA Wire
Mr Kingston was found dead at an address in Gloucestershire 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 involved.
His death will be devastating to the Royal family and comes just weeks after the King was diagnosed with cancer.
Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Michael, who also have a son, Lord Freddie Windsor, both attended a memorial service on Tuesday for King Constantine of Greece.
The service was held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, where Lady Gabriella and Mr Kingston married in May 2018 before senior royals including Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Queen Elizabeth II takes Lady Gabriella’s hand during her wedding
Prince William was absent from the memorial service but that was not connected to Mr Kingston’s death, the Telegraph understands.
A statement issued on behalf of Lady Gabriella, Mr Kingston’s parents Martin and Jill Kingston, and his sisters, Joanna Connolly and 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, known as Tom, read economic history at Bristol University before going to work as a hostage negotiator in Baghdad.
Mr Kingston was a financier who had previously worked in Baghdad
The Rev Canon Andrew White, who was based in Baghdad at the same time, once described him as “an exceptional young man”.
He told the Daily Mail: “Tom is one of the most remarkable people I have ever worked with and I would have him back at my side tomorrow, if he would come.”
After three years in Iraq, Mr Kingston returned to the UK to work for Schroders, the global asset management firm, as an equity analyst before becoming managing director of Voltan Capital Management.
The couple in September 2023 as they attended a fashion exhibition at the V&A in London – Dave Benett/Getty Images for the Victoria & Albert Museum
He is said to have dated Pippa Middleton in 2011 and appears to have remained close to the family.
Both he and Lady Gabriella attended Ms Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews in 2017 and Pippa, Carole and Michael Middleton attended his own wedding.
The couple married at Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel in 2019.
Lady Gabriella who is known as Ella, had been dating Mr Kingston for a number of years when he proposed the previous summer at Isle of Sark, off the coast of Normandy.
Mr Kingston was a director of Devonport Capital, which specialises in providing finance for companies in “frontier economies” and was a close friend of Pippa Middleton, it is understood.
The month after their wedding in June 2019, Mr Kingston made his first appearance alongside the Royal family on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour.
