Thomas Kingston, son-in-law of Prince Michael of Kent, dead at 45

Thomas Kingston, the financier husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston, has died suddenly at the age of 45, Buckingham Palace announced Tuesday.

Kingston married into Britain’s most famous family in 2019, tying the knot with Lady Gabriella in a lavish ceremony at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.

Lady Gabriella, 42, who is 56th in line to the British throne and the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, paid tribute to her “beloved husband” in a family statement on Tuesday, saying he was “an exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him.”

She added that “his death has come as a great shock to the whole family.”

Buckingham Palace said that King Charles III and Queen Camilla had been informed of the financier’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,” a palace spokesperson said.

Kingston was found dead at a property in Gloucestershire on Sunday, with emergency services called to the scene shortly after 6 p.m. (1 p.m. ET).

Lady Gabriella, who is the King’s second cousin, is not a working member of the royal family.

Her parents, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, had attended a memorial service for the late King Constantine II of Greece with other members of the British royal family earlier Tuesday, before the announcement of Kingston’s death.

Constantine, who died in January last year, was Lady Gabriella’s godfather, according to the UK’s PA Media news agency.

Prince William, who was also a godchild of the late Greek monarch, did not attend the remembrance event at St. George’s at the last minute due to a personal matter. However, it is understood that the Prince of Wales’ absence was not connected to the news of Kingston’s death.