Prince William leads royals in attending Thomas Kingston's funeral
The royal family bid farewell to Thomas Kingston, late husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston, at his funeral on Tuesday.
As well as Lady Gabriella and her parents Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Prince Williamwas among the members of the British royal family to pay their respects at the service, which took place at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace in London at 11:30am.
Other royals in attendance included the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra, while Thomas' family and close friends also made up the congregation of around 140 people.
Absent royals
The King was understandably absent from the service amid his ongoing cancer treatment, while the Queen did not attend as she hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace to celebrate International Women's Day, where she marked the end of the WOW Girls Festival Bus tour.
The Princess of Wales did not attend the funeral given her recovery from abdominal surgery. And the Duke of Sussex, who was a guest at Lady Gabriella and Thomas's Windsor wedding in 2019, did not fly over from California.
IN MEMORIAM
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Lady Gabriella Windsor and late husband Thomas Kingston's fairytale wedding day Lady Gabriella Windsor and late husband Thomas Kingston's fairytale wedding day
Funeral details
Shortly before the funeral, the coffin was brought from the chapel of Kensington Palace to St James' Palace, accompanied by close family.
The service was led by the Sub-Dean of the Chapel Royal, the Reverend Canon Paul Wright, with a sermon from the former Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Richard Chartres. The one-hour service was followed by a private cremation, with no details shared of Thomas's final resting place.
A larger scale memorial service for Thomas is likely to be held in due course.
Thomas' relationship with the royal family
Lady Gabriella's husband was well-liked by the royal family. At the time of his death, King Charles and Queen Camilla called Thomas a "much-loved member" of their family and sent their "most heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Gabriella and to all the Kingston family".
Although Thomas was on the periphery of The Firm, he did make occasional high-profile appearances with Gabriella, including attending Wimbledon, Royal Ascot, the thanksgiving service for Prince Philip, and the committal service for the late Queen.
The couple married at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on 18 May 2019 with a whole host of royals in attendance, including Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Thomas' cause of death
The financier's passing was announced by the palace on 27 February. He was found dead at the age of 45 on 25 February at his parents' home in the Cotswolds.
An inquest on 1 March found that Thomas died from a “catastrophic head injury” and a gun was found near his body.
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".
He and Gabriella were last pictured together on Valentine's Day as they attended an event with Queen Camilla to celebrate the work of William Shakespeare.
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