Lady Gabriella (R) and Thomas Kingston Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Lady Gabriella Kingston is opening up about her husband Thomas Kingston’s sudden death for the first time.
Gabriella, 43, who is King Charles III’s second cousin, broke her silence at a Tuesday, December 3, inquest at Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court.
“It appears to me Tom’s impulsive action was likely provoked by an adverse reaction to the medication he had been taking in the last two weeks of his life,” Gabriella wrote in a witness statement read aloud by senior coroner Katy Skerrett, per The Telegraph.
Gabriella’s husband died by suicide at age 45 in February, according to Skerrett, who said during Tuesday’s inquest that Thomas “took his own life.” In Gabriella’s witness statement, she noted that Thomas had never expressed suicidal ideation, either to her or anyone else.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images Thomas Kingston and Lady Gabriella Kingston’s royal love story was cut short when Thomas died at age 45 in February 2024. Thomas’ family — including Gabriella, who is King Charles III’s second cousin — said in a statement at the time that his death came “as a great shock” to his loved […]
“[Work] was certainly a challenge for him over the years, but I highly doubt it would have led him to take his own life, and it seemed much improved,” she wrote, per Hello! “If anything had been troubling him, I’m positive that he would have shared that he was struggling severely. The fact that he took his life at the home of his beloved parents suggests the decision was the result of a sudden impulse.”
Gabriella added that given “the lack of any evidence of [suicidal] inclination, it seems highly likely to me that he had an adverse reaction to the pills that led him to take his life.”
The court heard that Thomas was prescribed sertraline for anxiety and zopiclone to help with trouble sleeping. He later stopped taking sertraline because it made him anxious and was prescribed diazepam and citalopram instead. He also doubled his dosage of sleep medication.
An investigation has been opened regarding Thomas Kingston’s death. “Please be advised that HM senior coroner for Gloucestershire, Ms Katy Skerrett, will conduct the opening of the inquest into the death of Mr Thomas Henry Robin Kingston at 2pm Friday, March 1, 2024 at the Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court,” a court official told Us Weekly in […]
“I believe anyone taking pills such as these needs to be made more aware of the side effects to prevent any future deaths,” Gabriella’s statement continued. “If this could happen to Tom, this could happen to anyone.”
Gabriella, who married Thomas in 2019, described the pair’s marriage as “deeply loving and trusting.”
Thomas’ father, Martin Kingston, also spoke at the hearing, sharing his belief that it “cannot be a coincidence” that Thomas died three weeks after he began taking medications for insomnia and anxiety.
Both Thomas and Martin were licensed gun owners. Thomas’ death took place when he was at his parents’ home returning one of his father’s guns, which he had borrowed that weekend.
“The decision appears to have been made in a matter of minutes, apparently prompted by the gun he was bringing back to us,” Martin said.
Karwai Tang/WireImage Prince William flew solo in attending funeral services for the late Thomas Kingston. William, 41, was present at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace in London on Tuesday, March 12, for the private ceremony after Kingston died suddenly last month at age 45.. Roughly 140 family and friends gathered for the funeral […]
Medical expert Dr. David Healey told the court that sertraline and citalopram fall into the category of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which can “have a fairly dramatic and catastrophic effect within a very short space of time.”
Thomas’ family, including Gabriella, released a statement announcing his death on February 27.
“It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the death of Thomas Kingston, our beloved husband, son and brother,” the statement read. “Tom was an exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him. His death has come as a great shock to the whole family and we ask you to respect our privacy as we mourn his passing.”
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