Thomas Kingston, husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, died when a gun was found next to the body, inquest hears

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

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

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

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

Opening the inquest at Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court on Friday afternoon, senior coroner Katy Skerrett said Kingston, 45, had lunch with his parents at their home on Sunday.

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

About 30 minutes later, his mother came to pick him up. 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 firearm was found at the scene. He called emergency services. “Police are satisfied that the death is not suspicious,” Skerrett told the inquest.

“A post-mortem examination was carried out by Dr Jones, a consultant histopathologist, and the provisional cause of death was determined to be a traumatic head injury.”

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

A statement issued 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 illuminated the lives of all who knew him. His death has been a great shock to the entire family and we ask that you respect our privacy as we mourn his passing.”

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

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

The couple became engaged in the summer of 2018 after dating for several years, and Kingston proposed during a trip to the island of Sark.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “The King and Queen have been informed of Thomas’ death and join Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and all those who knew him in mourning a much-loved member of the family. .

“In particular, Their Majesties send their deepest thoughts and prayers to Gabriella and the entire Kingston family.”

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

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

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

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