Thomas Kingston, husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, died with gun found near body, inquest hears

Kingston, 45, was found dead in an outbuilding at his parent’s home in the Cotswolds on Sunday evening

Thomas Kingston died from a “traumatic head wound” with a gun found near his body, an inquest has heard.

The husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter, Lady Gabriella Kingston, died suddenly on Sunday in an outbuilding at his parent’s home in the Cotswolds.

Lady Gabriella and Thomas Kingston (Alexandra Diez de Rivera/Buckingham Palace/PA) (PA Wire)

The King, who is a second cousin of Lady Gabriella, sent his “most heartfelt thoughts and prayers” to her family after news broke of the sudden death.

Lady Gabriella is currently 56th in the line of succession to the British throne behind her niece, Isabella Windsor.

Lady Gabriella Kingston and husband Thomas (Alexandra Diez de Rivera/Buckingham Palace/PA)

While opening the inquest at Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court on Friday afternoon, senior coroner Katy Skerrett said that Mr Kingston, 45, ate lunch with his parents at their home on Sunday.

After lunch, his father went out to walk the dogs but upon his return, Mr Kingston could not be found in the house.

Around 30 minutes later, his mother went to look for him. His father then forced entry into a locked outbuilding when they heard no response.

“He found Mr Kingston deceased with a catastrophic head injury. A gun was present at the scene. Emergency services were called. Police are satisfied the death is not suspicious,” Ms Skerrett told the inquest.

“A post mortem has been undertaken by Dr Jones, a consultant histopathologist, and a provisional cause of death has been given as a traumatic wound to head.”

After hearing the initial details, an inquest into Mr Kingston’s death was officially opened and adjourned to a date to be fixed later.

A statement released earlier this week on behalf of Lady Gabriella, 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.”

Lady Gabriella married financier Mr Kingston in 2019. The intimate ceremony in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle was attended by several senior members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry.

Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston at their wedding on 18 May 2019 (Getty )

The late Duke of Edinburgh also made a rare public appearance at the ceremony.

The couple got engaged in the summer of 2018 after having dated for several years, with Mr Kingston proposing during a trip to the Isle of Sark.

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.”

According to reports, the financier’s death is not believed to be the reason why the Prince of Wales pulled out of a memorial service on Tuesday for his godfather King Constantine II, which was attended by Lady Gabriella’s parents Prince and Princess Michael of Kent.

Mr Kingston had previously dated Pippa Middleton, with the pair remaining close friends. Kingston and Lady Gabriella attended Ms Middleton’s wedding to James Matthews in May 2017.

Mr Kingston was a director at Devonport Capital, which specialises in supporting companies in emerging economies or post-conflict environments by providing access to expansion finance and liquidity-bridging solutions.

The Bristol University graduate had also previously worked to secure the release of hostages in Iraq after joining the diplomatic missions unit of the Foreign Office.