RICHARD EDEN: The heartfelt royal gesture to help Lady Gabriella Windsor recover after the tragic death of her husband Thomas Kingston – and what this ‘powerful signal’ really means

Of all the problems the royal family has faced this year, none has been as devastating as the tragic death of Thomas Kingston, the 45-year-old husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor.

Tom, handsome and popular, died in February of what was described as a traumatic head wound. A gun was found next to his body in an outbuilding at his parents’ home in the Cotswolds.

This weekend will be particularly poignant for Lady Gabriella as Saturday marks the fifth anniversary of her wedding at St George’s Chapel, Windsor – a joyous occasion with the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip among the guests.

Now the royal family is meeting again, this time to help Lady Gabriella, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, recover from the ordeal.

The couple married at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in 2019 – with the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip among the guests

I can reveal that Their Majesties have invited Ella, as she is known by friends, to attend the King’s Birthday Parade next month.

The parade is the formal name for Trooping the Color and an appearance on this occasion would be the first time she has been seen in public since her husband’s death.

“Everyone is hoping Ella will attend the festivities if she feels like it,” a royal source said. “It would send a powerful message of the family’s love and care for her.”

It is not clear whether Lady Gabriella will be invited to join the King and Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the traditional fly-by once the parade is over.

King Charles and Queen Camilla have invited Lady Gabriella, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent (pictured), to Trooping the Color – and have previously stood on the balcony of Buckingham Palace

Ella, as she is known by friends, moved back in with her parents at their Kensington Palace home last month as she continues to recover from the loss of her husband.

Thomas, the 45-year-old husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor, died on February 25 as a result of a ‘traumatic head injury’. A gun was found near his body

Together with other junior royals, Ella had regularly appeared on the balcony until the arrival of Covid-19 in early 2020.

When the pandemic ended and Trooping the Color returned, Queen Elizabeth invited only “working royals” to join her, sparing the blushes of her son Prince Andrew, who had been stripped of public duties, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who had retired from royal duties with ‘The Firm’.

If Lady Gabriella feels able to attend the King’s Birthday Parade and the private lunch that will follow, it would be useful preparation for an even more important date in her diary the following weekend.

I can announce that Tom’s family, in collaboration with the Royal Family, have organized a major memorial service for him. Some of his friends have already been invited. “It will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate his life,” one person told me.

Most were not invited to his funeral in March. This was a small and, I’m told, ‘very emotional’ gathering in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace – the setting for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s wedding in 1840 and Prince George’s baptism in 2013.

Tom’s body had been transported by hearse in a funeral procession from Kensington Palace. Lady Gabriella was accompanied by her parents, her brother, Lord Frederick Windsor, and his wife, the actress Sophie Winkleman.

The coroner who formally opened the inquest into Tom’s death said police were satisfied there were no suspicious persons. The investigation has been suspended.

Last month I announced that Ella had moved back in with her parents at their home in Kensington Palace.

“They wanted Ella to be with them, and she didn’t want to be alone in the house she shared with Tom,” one of her friends said at the time.

“We’ll all figure it out and she’ll be fine.”

Lady Gabriella, 43, whose father is a first cousin of the late queen, had previously lived with Tom in the Notting Hill area of ​​west London.

After the financier’s death, King Charles and Queen Camilla’s spokesperson said they had sent “their most sincere thoughts and prayers to Gabriella and the entire Kingston family.”

I hope that the King’s Birthday Parade and the warm embrace of the Royal Family will prove to be Lady Gabriella’s first step on the steep road to recovery.

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