Thomas Kingston’s “impulsive” death may have been linked to new medication he was taking which may have affected his “state of mind”, a court heard.
Mr Kingston, 45, the husband of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter Lady Gabriella Kingston, died on February 25 from a “traumatic head wound”, an initial inquest heard. A new investigation will seek to discover whether prescription medication he was taking played a part in his death.
The financier, who was married in 2019 in the company of Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, may have had his state of mind altered by the medication, with his family “advised there could be a connection” during a pre-inquest review hearing at Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, Martin Porter KC said.
The inquest will investigate whether Thomas Kingston’s mind was altered by new medication (
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Mr Porter told the court: “The inquiry shouldn’t be limited to the very final cause of death, which is clear and obvious.” He went on to say the inquest should include “Mr Kingston’s state of mind and whether that state of mind was affected by medication he had taken”.
Mr Porter added: “In support of my submissions, the family have been advised that there could be a connection… for your court to investigate.” The family’s lawyer told the court the possible link between medication and his state of mind “therefore justifies investigation”.
Katy Skerrett, senior coroner for Gloucestershire, said the “recent prescription… should be part of the scope”, adding: “I agree with Mr Porter, however I do caveat strongly that whether a causative link will be established is a very different matter.” Mr Kingston’s parents attended the hearing and the court heard his father Martin Kingston will give evidence to the inquest on behalf of the family.
Mr Kingston was married in front of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 2019 (
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Lady Gabriella did not attend Tuesday’s hearing. Mr Porter said Mr Kingston’s death was “unexpected” and “impulsive”, adding: “There was no pre-planning – on the contrary there was 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”. The Bristol University graduate had also worked in Baghdad, Iraq, to procure the release of hostages after joining the Diplomatic Missions Unit of the Foreign Office.