Lady Gabriella’s husband died from shotgun wound after ‘adverse effect to medication’

Thomas Kingston died from a shotgun wound to the head after suffering an adverse effect to medication prescribed by his doctor, a coroner has found, after .

The husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter, , died from a  on February 25, and a gun was found near his body at his parents’ home in the Cotswolds.

The 45-year-old financier married Lady Gabriella at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in 2019 with Queen Elizabeth II and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh among the guests.

At an inquest into his death held at Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court since 10am this morning, Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, said: “Mr Kingston took his own life using a shotgun which caused a severe traumatic wound to the head.

“The evidence of his wife, family and business partner all supports his lack of suicidal intent. He was suffering adverse effects of medication he had recently been prescribed.”

Ms Skerrett read out a statement by Lady Gabriella, which said: “(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.

“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.”

She said she believed his death was “likely provoked” by an adverse reaction to the medication he had begun and subsequently stopped taking in the weeks leading up to his death.

He had initially been given Sertraline – an anti-depressant – and Zopiclone, a sleeping tablet, by a GP at the Royal Mews Surgery – a practice used by royal household staff – after complaining of trouble sleeping following stress at work.

But he complained this was not making him feel better, and his doctor moved him off Sertraline to Citalopram, another selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used as an anti-depressant.

Lady Gabriella added: “The lack of any evidence of inclination, it seems highly likely to me that he had an adverse reaction to the pills that led him to take his life.

“I believe anyone taking pills such as these need to be made more aware of the side effects to prevent any future deaths. If this could happen to Tom, this could happen to anyone.”

During a previous hearing, Martin Porter KC said the Kingston family had been advised there “could be a connection” between the medication he had taken and his state of mind before his death. He described Mr Kingston’s death as “unexpected” and “impulsive”, with evidence of Mr Kingston “planning for the future”.

Lady Gabriella paid tribute to her husband in a joint statement with his family following his death, 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”.

The King and Queen sent their “most heartfelt thoughts and prayers” to Lady Gabriella, who is known as Ella, and Mr Kingston’s parents and siblings.

Lady Gabriella is the King’s second cousin. They are both great-grandchildren of King George V.  Mr Kingston was a director of Devonport Capital, which specialises in providing finance for companies in “frontier economies”.

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