Tuesday marked one year since the tragic death of Lady Gabriella Kingston’s husband, Thomas Kingston, who was remembered as a “joyful, giving, full of life and caring person.”
The financier passed away at the age of 45 from a catastrophic head injury at his parents’ home in the Cotswolds, with a gun found near his body on 25 February 2024.
During the inquest into his death in December, Gloucestershire’s senior coroner, Katy Skerrett, concluded that Thomas had taken his own life but noted that there was no evidence of prior suicidal intent. She stated that he had been experiencing adverse effects from recently prescribed medication.
The inquest revealed that Thomas had initially been prescribed sertraline, an antidepressant, and zopiclone, a sleeping aid, by a GP at the Royal Mews Surgery—used by royal household staff—after struggling with sleep issues due to work-related stress.
When he reported that the medication was not helping, his doctor switched him to citalopram, another antidepressant. However, in the days leading up to his death, he had stopped taking his medication.
In a witness statement, Lady Gabriella, 43, expressed concerns about the potential risks of mental health medications. She shared that while work had been challenging for Thomas, she did not believe it would have driven him to take his own life. She also noted that if he had been struggling severely, he would have spoken about it.
“The fact that he took his life at the home of his beloved parents suggests the decision was the result of a sudden impulse,” she said.
Lady Gabriella also emphasized the need for greater awareness of the side effects of such medications, stating: “If this could happen to Tom, this could happen to anyone.”
Thomas’ funeral took place on 12 March 2024 at the Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, with members of the royal family, including the Prince of Wales and Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, attending to support his loved ones.
