Prince William leads mourners as Thomas Kingston laid to rest in private funeral

12 March 2024 , 16:40

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Prince William, pictured here at a Commonwealth Day event, attended the funeral of Thomas Kingston on Tuesday (Image: Getty Images)

Prince William led members of the royal family today at the funeral of Thomas Kingston, the late husband of his friend and close relative Lady Gabriella Windsor.

Financier and former hostage negotiator Mr Kingston, the husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter, died from “a catastrophic head injury” and a gun was found near his body, an inquest into his death has heard.

The 45-year-old was found dead by his father at the family’s Gloucestershire home after Kingston had had lunch with his parents and gone for a walk on February 25. His body was later discovered in a locked outbuilding after he failed to return.

Prince William, 41, was reported to have been “shocked and devastated” at the news. Royal sources said Mr Kingston was well-liked within royal circles and had known many of the younger royals for years.

At 11.30am today a private family service was held at the Chapel Royal, St James’s, followed by a reception in St James’s Palace. Mr Kingston’s coffin was brought from the chapel of Kensington Palace accompanied by close family. The congregation of around 140 people were close family and friends of Lady Gabriella and the Kingstons, among them The Prince of Wales, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, The Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.

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Thomas Kingston, the late husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, died last month (Getty Images)

The King and Queen, who previously sent their “most heartfelt thoughts and prayers” to Gabriella and Mr Kingston’s family, were unable to attend the service. Charles, 75, is undergoing continued treatment for cancer, while Camilla, 76, had already committed to hosting a reception at Buckingham Palace in the morning.

Palace sources said a larger scale memorial service for Mr Kingston is likely to be held in due course. The Princess of Wales was also absent as she continues to recover at home following an abdominal operation in January and is not expected to return to royal duties until after Easter.

Kensington Palace was left reeling this week after the princess admitted editing a picture taken by William of Kate and their three children, released on Mother’s Day, which was criticised for being “manipulated” and subsequently deleted from the libraries of the world’s leading photographic agencies.

A larger service for Mr Kingston is likely to be held in due course (PA Media)

Prince William was said to be 'devastated' by his death (Getty Images)

The service for Mr Kingston was led by the Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal, the Revd Canon Paul Wright, with a sermon from the former Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Richard Chartres. The one hour service was followed by a private cremation.

Mr Kingston married Gabriella at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in 2019 with Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, among the guests. Prince Michael is the late queen’s cousin, making Lady Gabriella the King's second cousin.

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”. They described his death as a “great shock to the whole family”.

Russell Myers