Inquest into death of Thomas Kingston to open in Gloucester

The inquest into the death of Thomas Kingston, the husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent's daughter Lady Gabriella Kingston, is due to take place in Gloucester.

Mr Kingston died from a catastrophic head injury and a gun was found near his body on February 25 at his parents' home in the Cotswolds.

The 45-year-old financier married Lady Gabriella at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 2019 with Queen Elizabeth II and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh among the guests.

An inquest into his death is to take place at Gloucestershire Coroner's Court on Tuesday at 10am, with the hearing listed as lasting all day.

During a previous hearing, Martin Porter KC said the Kingston family had been advised there "could be a connection" between medication he had taken and his state of mind before his death.

Mr Porter described Mr Kingston's death as "unexpected" and "impulsive", with evidence of Mr Kingston "planning for the future".

Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, confirmed that the "recent prescription" should be part of the scope of the inquest.

The court heard Mr Kingston's father, Martin Kingston, will give evidence to the full hearing on behalf of the family.

Lady Gabriella paid tribute to her husband in a joint statement with his family following his death, 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".

The King and Queen sent their "most heartfelt thoughts and prayers" to Lady Gabriella, who is known as Ella, and Mr Kingston's parents and siblings.

Lady Gabriella is the King's second cousin. They are both great-grandchildren of King George V.

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, to procure the release of hostages after joining the diplomatic missions unit of the Foreign Office.

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