Lady Gabriella Windsor’s heartbreak: How the royal is marking wedding anniversary without her beloved husband Thomas Kingston – five years after they dazzled in glorious Windsor nuptials, writes CLAUDIA JOSEPH

The daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent marks her fifth wedding anniversary today without her beloved husband by her side.

Instead of waking up with her late husband Thomas Kingston in their flat in Notting Hill, west London, Lady Gabriella Windsor has moved back in with her parents at Kensington Palace.

Today marks five years since Lady Gabriella, 43, who is 56th in line to the throne, emerged from St George’s Chapel, Windsor, into glorious sunshine on the arm of her financier husband.

But instead of exchanging wooden gifts, Ella, as she is known to family and friends, mourns the man she dated for three years before he proposed to her on the Channel Island of Sark.

Thomas, a devout Christian former and Iraqi hostage negotiator, died in February.

Although less starry than the weddings of Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie, who also married at Windsor Castle, the weddings of Lady Gabriella and Thomas had an equally staggering number of guests, including a contingent of senior Royals.

Both the late Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh watched her walk down the aisle in a custom-made dress by Italian couturier Luisa Beccaria and a delicate veil made of layers of white tulle and embroidered flowers.

Lady Gabriella Windsor married Thomas Kingston in 2019 at St George’s Chapel at Winsor Castle

Prince Harry arrived with Lady Frederick Windsor, but his wife Meghan Markle was unable to attend

And although William and Kate couldn’t attend, Prince Harry arrived with actress Sophie Winkleman, who is married to Ella’s older brother Lord Frederick Windsor, and gave a reading at the wedding.

In a touching tribute, she paired her dress with the Russian Fringe-style tiara that both her grandmother, Princess Marina, and mother, Princess Michael of Kent, wore on their wedding days.

And her bouquet, consisting of Juliet roses, lily of the valley, white and apricot peas, included a creamy ivory ‘Ella’ rose by David Austin, as well as myrtle, a hallmark of royal bridal bouquets since Queen Victoria.

“I wanted to surprise both my parents that day, so I worked closely with Luisa without any family seeing the dress as it was put together until my wedding day,” she told Hello! magazine after the wedding.

But a technical problem arose as she walked down the aisle. ‘Suddenly I felt my tiara retract and in those few nerve-wracking moments I thought it was going to come crashing down with a huge crash.

‘My little bridesmaids accidentally landed on my very sheer tulle 6ft veil. I slowed down until they got off, but then it happened again. Luckily my hairdresser had held the tiara in place and it stayed firm.’

Ella had nine bridesmaids and page boys, including her nieces Maud, then five, and Isabella, three, and Eliza Goldsmith, the three-year-old daughter of environmentalist Ben Goldsmith, who was another guest.

It was a royal affair: Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Earl of Wessex, Princess Alexandra, the Duke and Duchess of York, Princess Beatrice and her future husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were all on the guest list.

Although Prince William and his wife Kate were unable to attend the wedding due to previous commitments, the Middleton family was not in attendance.

Both the Queen (above) and Prince Philip were in attendance. Lady Gabriella was always a favorite of Her Majesty

Gabriella’s delicate veil was made of layers of white tulle and embroidered flowers

Prince Michael of Kent, Isabella Windsor, Lady Frederick Windsor and Lord Frederick Windsor attend the wedding of Lady Gabriella Windsor and Thomas Kingston at St George’s Chapel on May 18, 2019

The Middletons attended in large numbers, but unfortunately Prince William and Kate were unable to attend

Lady Gabriella was chatting with her bridesmaid during this happy family photo

The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward and Princess Beatrice all waved goodbye to the happy couple

Kate’s parents Carole and Michael were both at the ceremony, Pippa Middleton, a close friend of the groom, arrived with her husband James Matthews, while her brother James turned up with his future wife Alizee Thevenet.

After the ceremony, former Tatler Society photographer Hugo Burnand photographed the happy couple with their entourage of bridesmaids and page boys.

He was a favorite with the Royal Family and took the wedding photographs of the King and Queen as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as the coronation photographs of Charles and Camilla.

Guests were then taken in vintage buses to Frogmore House for the reception, the same venue chosen by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank.

Hosted by the Queen’s party planner, Lady Elizabeth Anson, 400 guests were treated to three different wedding cakes: a fruit cake, Victoria sponge and lemon limoncello cake.

That evening, Ella, a Brown University and Oxford graduate, and Tom, director of Devonport Capital, hosted a bash for their London friends, including Hollywood actress and star of The Princess Diaries Anne Hathaway.

During the evening reception, Sophie sang one of her sister-in-law’s favorite songs Will You Love Me Tomorrow. “There were a few tears, but I’m not sure if it was because they were moved or because they wanted me to stop,” she said afterwards.

Thomas was found dead with a shotgun next to his body in an outbuilding at his parents’ home in the Cotswolds. There were no suspicious circumstances.