An inquest into the death of Thomas Kingston, the husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter Lady Gabriella Kingston, will be opened at Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court at 2pm on Friday.
The 45-year-old’s sudden death last Sunday sent shockwaves around the world after Buckingham Palace’s announcement on Tuesday.
The financier known as Tom, was found dead at an address in the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire on Sunday evening, and emergency services were called to the scene shortly after 6pm.
Currently, there are no suspicious circumstances and no other parties involved.
A spokesman for Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court said today: “Please be advised that HM senior coroner for Gloucestershire, Ms Katy Skerrett, will conduct the opening of the inquest into the death of Mr Thomas Henry Robin Kingston at 2pm Friday March 1 2024 at the Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court.”
Lady Gabriella paid tribute to her husband in a joint statement with his family, describing him as an “exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him”.
The statement read: “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.”
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.
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.”
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 – and the pair were said to have dated in 2011.
Lady Gabriella, who is a writer and a contributing editor as well as a singer-songwriter, is the King’s second cousin. They are both great-grandchildren of King George V.
She and Tom married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 2019 with Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the late Duke of Edinburgh, among the guests.
No funeral plans have been released so far.
