William and royal family gather for private funeral of Thomas Kingston
The Prince of Wales has joined mourners at the private funeral of Lady Gabriella Kingston’s husband Thomas Kingston.
About 140 close friends and family of the financier, whose sudden death left the royal family in shock, gathered at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace in London on Tuesday.
Heir to the throne William, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra were among the members of the royal family who attended.
The King – Lady Gabriella’s second cousin – and the Queen were not present.
Charles is not attending public-facing events while he undergoes treatment for cancer, and the Queen was hosting a WOW (Women of the World) reception at Buckingham Palace.
Mr Kingston’s coffin was brought from the chapel of Kensington Palace, accompanied by close family for the hour-long service which began at 11.30am.
The service was led by the Sub-Dean of the Chapels Royal, the Rev Canon Paul Wright, with a sermon by the former Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres.
The funeral was followed by a reception in St James’s Palace and a private cremation, but no details have been shared of Mr Kingston’s final resting place.
A larger scale memorial service is expected to be held in honour of Mr Kingston in due course.
She 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”.
Mr Kingston was a director of Devonport Capital, which specialises in providing finance for companies in “frontier economies”.
The Bristol University graduate had also worked in Baghdad, Iraq, working to procure the release of hostages after joining the Diplomatic Missions Unit of the Foreign Office.
Although Lady Gabriella is not a working member of the royal family, she and Mr Kingston’s family are being supported by the royal household.
William is Lady Gabriella’s second cousin once removed – and they were both godchildren of the late King Constantine of Greece.