Who Is Thomas Kingston's Wife, Lady Gabriella?
The shocking news of the death of English financier Thomas Kingston, Pippa Middleton's ex-boyfriend, is yet another blow that the British monarchy has suffered in the early months of 2024. For those not well-versed in royal lineage, Thomas Kingston or Lady Gabriella Kingston (née Windsor), his wife at the time of his death, may not be recognizable figures. However, Lady Gabriella is actually related to Queen Elizabeth II.
While Thomas had been previously linked to Pippa, the younger sister of Catherine, Princess of Wales, he would become even more closely linked with the monarchy after marrying Gabriella, whose father Prince Michael of Kent is the late Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin. This makes Gabriella a first cousin, once removed, to Queen Elizabeth and a second cousin to King Charles III, the current monarch. She is 56th in line for the throne at the time of this writing and shared a birthday week with Queen Elizabeth.
Despite carrying the Windsor name, Lady Gabriella has lived a relatively non-royal existence as a freelance journalist, musician, and teacher — with a few notable royalty-related moments sprinkled throughout her unique and interesting life. Here's what we know about Lady Gabriella.
Lady Gabriella flies under the royal radar as a multi-talented creative
Although Lady Gabriella Kingston has attended royal events from time to time, she has generally kept a low profile, pursuing her multiple passions in creative arts, journalism, and education. She hopped across the pond for college, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in comparative literature and Hispanic studies from Brown University in Rhode Island. Kingston returned to her native England to obtain a Master of Philosophy degree in social anthropology at Oxford.
Following her graduate studies, Kingston began working as a freelance writer and contributing editor for multiple English- and Spanish-language publications and websites. She's written stories for major outlets like The Telegraph, The London Magazine, Vogue, and others. Kingston, who also uses the name Ella Windsor, wrote an essay for the Telegraph about her brief time living in South America, detailing how her love for the continent inspired her work with Branding Latin America, which links South American arts institutions and the rest of the world.
Kingston is a performer in her own right. She showed off her vocal prowess on two tracks recorded for the Playing for Change Foundation, which seeks to enrich global communities with the power of music. One track is titled "Bam Bam," while the other, "Out of the Blue," is an original composition by Kingston that she performed at her wedding reception when she married Thomas Kingston in May 2019. "I've always loved music, but never imagined I would become involved with it like this — releasing my own songs," she told Hello.
Her connection to the royal family has had its ups and downs
Lady Gabriella Kingston might not be one of the core group of royals we often associate with the monarchy, such as King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Prince William, etc. But Kingston has maintained a close connection to her cousins over the years. Kingston and her late husband, Thomas Kingston, married at St. George's Chapel on May 18, 2019 — almost exactly one year after Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, wed at the same church. Many royal family members were in attendance at the Kingston nuptials, including Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and Prince Harry.
Gabriella has also been present for sadder moments within the royal family. She was present at the intimate familial funeral service for Queen Elizabeth II, where Gabriella had a shocking fainting spell as the queen's coffin arrived at Westminster Hall in 2022. Months later, she stood in for Prince William at the funeral of their godfather, King Constantine of Greece, in January 2023. It seems likely that some royal family members will be present to pay their respects to Gabriella's late husband, whose cause of death is still unknown but determined non-suspicious.
Tragically, the last known public photo of Lady Gabriella and Thomas Kingston was taken on Valentine's Day at a Shakespeare event in London. A friend who saw the couple shortly after this event told the Daily Mail that Gabriella and Thomas "seemed happy and positive as ever. Ella was particularly chatty."