Over two years have passed since Lady Gabriella Windsor faced the tragic loss of her husband, Thomas Kingston, who took his own life. Now, the Royal is embarking on a new chapter, marking a fresh start by leaving her London apartment.
Known for her relatable and grounded demeanor, Lady Gabriella, the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, was seen personally moving her belongings. Rather than relying on professional movers, she opted to carry out the task herself, loading boxes and furniture into a waiting van.
At 45, Lady Gabriella was noticeably in high spirits, receiving a helping hand from her friend, Lady Eloise Waymouth. Lady Eloise, daughter of the late renowned society photographer Lord Patrick Lichfield, joined her in this endeavor.
The duo was seen sharing light-hearted moments, chatting and smiling as they transported soft furnishings, an antique chair, and several packing boxes. Their camaraderie was evident as they worked together.
Adding to the day’s amusement, the friends burst into laughter when they were distracted by a passing Chesil Speedster 2 car, featuring a dog wearing driving goggles in the front seat. The whimsical sight provided a delightful distraction from their moving duties.
They shared a hilarious moment after being distracted by a passing Chesil Speedster 2 car, whose front-seat passenger was a dog in driving goggles – a sight which left them in fits of laughter.
The Royal, known to family and friends as Ella, was not wearing her wedding ring for the move.
Financier Mr Kingston, 45, died in February 2024. He was found with self-inflicted gunshot wounds at his parents’ £3million home in the Cotswolds.
Lady Gabriella Windsor (pictured), known for being down-to-earth, eschewed a moving company and instead enlisted the help of a friend to relocate from her London flat
Aristocratic friend Lady Eloise Waymouth, the daughter of late society photographer Lord Patrick Lichfield, was picturing carrying boxes during the move
At one point, the pair were momentarily distracted by a passing Chesil Speedster 2 car, whose front-seat passenger was a dog in driving goggles – a sight which let them in fits of laughter
The couple married at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, in May 2019 in a ceremony attended by the Queen and Philip.
Their wedding was widely regarded as a highlight of the 2019 royal calendar.
Mr Kingston, a former hostage negotiator turned financier, was often described by friends as a man of ‘immense charm and intellect’.
Lady Gabriella often remarked in interviews how ‘lucky’ she felt to have met ‘someone special’.
The couple’s romance began in 2014 after they were introduced by mutual friends.
Before his marriage into the Royal Family, Mr Kingston had been a well-known figure in social circles, having previously dated Pippa Middleton, the Princess of Wales’s sister.
He eventually proposed to Gabriella during a 2018 holiday to the Isle of Sark, just one year before their high-profile wedding at St George’s Chapel.
She reportedly moved in with her parents at their Kensington Palace flat after his death.
An inquest heard Mr Kingston, in charge of an investment firm struggling to meet an £8million debt, had suffered adverse effects from a cocktail of anti-depressants and sleeping pills he had been taking in the weeks before he died.
In fact, the true scale of the financial pressure facing Mr Kingston’s investment firm, Devonport Capital Limited, has only recently come to light.
The firm reportedly held a staggering negative balance of £27.9 million, leaving a final shortfall of £8.1 million for creditors.
In a desperate bid to save the company he founded, the high-flying financier had invested £1.6 million of his own personal wealth into the business.
Thomas Kingston with his wife Lady Gabriella Windsor. The couple married in May 2019
Thomas and Lady Gabriella smile for photographers at the 2023 Wimbledon Tennis Championships
Even his father, Martin Kingston, a respected barrister, is owed £162,000, while the biggest creditor, Dubai-based Christopher Chandler, faces a loss of approximately £3.7 million.
Lady Gabriella, who wept at the hearing, said: ‘Anyone taking pills such as these needs to be made aware of the side effects to prevent future deaths.
‘If this could happen to Tom, it could happen to anyone.’
Speaking on her late husband’s state of mind, Lady Gabriella reflected on the intersection of his professional and personal struggles.
While acknowledging that work had been a ‘challenge’ over the years, she told the coroner: ‘I highly doubt it would have led him to take his own life, and it seemed much improved.’
She added that the fact he chose his parents’ home for his final moments suggested a sudden, impulsive decision rather than a premeditated act.
The inquest revealed that Mr Kingston had been seeking help for work-related stress and insomnia in the months before his death.
He was treated by a GP at the Royal Mews Surgery, the private practice at Buckingham Palace typically used by royal household staff.
A determined Lady Gabriella hauls some of her belongings during her low-key moving day
Lady Gabriella and Lady Eloise are pictured carrying large green bags away from the apartment
There, he was prescribed sertraline, an antidepressant used for anxiety, alongside the sleeping tablet zopiclone.
The hearing was told that Mr Kingston had stopped taking the medication in the days immediately preceding the tragedy, a factor the coroner linked to his ‘sudden impulse’ to take his own life.
Records show he did not leave a will, and his entire estate, worth £660,000, passed to his wife.
The High Court signed off on the letters of administration earlier this year, reports the Sun, which brought a formal end to the legal probate process more than two years after his passing.
While the gross value of his estate was listed at £934,429, the final figure inherited by Lady Gabriella was reduced to £664,429 once debts, funeral costs, and taxes were settled.
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