Lady Gabriella Kingston made a rare public outing on Friday to support the Princess of Wales at her annual Christmas carol service.
The 43-year-old writer was among the 1,600 attendees at Westminster Abbey, joining her parents, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, and her brother, Lord Frederick Windsor, along with his family.
Dressed in an olive green coat, Lady Gabriella arrived with her cousin, Lady Helen Taylor, the daughter of the Duke of Kent. This festive occasion comes just days after an inquest into the tragic death of Lady Gabriella’s husband, Thomas Kingston.
The 45-year-old financier tragically passed away from a shotgun wound to the head at his parents’ home in the Cotswolds on February 25.
At the Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court inquest, Lady Gabriella shared her grief in a witness statement, urging awareness of the effects of medications used to treat mental health conditions in order to prevent similar tragedies.
Thomas had been prescribed sertraline, an antidepressant, and zopiclone, a sleeping pill, by a doctor at the Royal Mews Surgery after experiencing trouble sleeping due to work-related stress.
Lady Gabriella expressed that, while work had been difficult for Thomas, she did not believe it would have driven him to take his life. She stated that had he been struggling, he would have shared his feelings with her. The sudden nature of his death at his parents’ home indicated it was likely the result of an impulsive decision.
After returning to the surgery, Thomas was switched from sertraline to citalopram. In the days before his death, he had stopped taking his medication, and toxicology reports showed traces of caffeine and small amounts of zopiclone in his system. Lady Gabriella believes that the adverse reaction to the medication likely contributed to his decision.
“I believe anyone taking these medications needs to be made more aware of the side effects to prevent future tragedies,” she stated, emphasizing that if it could happen to Thomas, it could happen to anyone.
Senior coroner Katy Skerrett concluded that Thomas Kingston died by suicide due to a shotgun wound to the head, with no evidence of prior suicidal intent. The evidence supported that he was suffering from adverse effects of the medication he had been prescribed.
Lady Gabriella and Thomas married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May 2019, after several years of dating.
