Lady Gabriella Windsor's life growing up in the palace with Prince William and Harry
By Madhurima Haque|
As Lady Gabriella Windsor is mourning the sudden loss of her husband, Thomas Kingston, the royal family is rallying behind her to support her in these tough times จC just as she has for them in the past.
Buckingham Palace, which represents the monarch, released a statement in the wake of the death of the royal in-law at age 45.
"The King and The Queen have been informed of Thomas's death and join Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and all those who knew him in grieving a much-loved member of the family," a spokesperson said.
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"In particular, Their Majesties send their most heartfelt thoughts and prayers to Gabriella and to all the Kingston family."
However, this move is not very common for those who aren't too close to the crown.
Though we may not have heard much about Lady Gabriella, she is in fact a close relative of the immediate royal family.
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L?ady Gabriella Kingston (formerly Windsor) is the daughter Prince Michael of Kent, who is the first cousin to the late Queen Elizabeth.
This makes Gabriella, 42, a second cousin to King Charles, the current monarch.
This also makes her the second cousin twice removed of Princes William and Harry, with their bond being evident throughout the childhood and especially now.
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Gabriella has been a consistent presence in the royal family since her birth on April 23, 1981.
She grew up in an apartment in Kensington Palace with her family, with the late Queen having paid the rent for them until 2008, when members of parliament exposed the fact and the Kent family were forced to pay the full market rate themselves.
Before that, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent had raised Gabriella and her older brother, Frederik Windsor, at Nether Lypiatt Manor in Gloucestershire before they were forced to downsize.
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She is one of the many royal relatives spotted on the balcony of Buckingham Palace ?whenever there was a major event, such as Trooping the Colour.
She has been present at many events, though we may not have known it. In an infamous 1988 photo of Harry sticking out his tongue while watching Trooping the Colour, Lady Gabriella is the child looking back towards him, standing next to William.
During the 1984 ceremony, she is seen looking at Prince William as he made a funny face at all the festivities. She was even seen playing around in the royal carriage with the other royal children, including William and Harry.
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As she grew up, she was also seen at more royal events, such as the 1999 wedding of Princess Alexia Of Greece, the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations, and even in the royal box at Wimbledon.
She had a brief stint in the US, studying comparative literature and Hispanic studies at Brown University in Rhode Island, before returning to the UK, where she is now a writer with pieces in publications such as The London Magazine and Conde Nast Traveller, among others.
She also made her debut as a singer-songwriter in 2020, releasing two songs Out of Blue and Bam Bam to raise money for the Playing for Change Foundation.
In 2019, she wed her ?longtime partner, financier Thomas Henry Robin Kingston at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Her wedding was attended by many royals, including the late Queen and her husband Prince Philip, and unexpectedly, Prince Harry.
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Harry had just welcomed his first child, Prince Archie, with wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and was not expected to attend, but he made the time to celebrate his cousin and enjoyed the festivities, being seen smiling and chatting with his family members at the event.
?Though Gabriella is not a working member of the royal family, she was trusted by William to attend the 2023 funeral of the late King Constantine of Greece in his stead, as the late monarch was named godfather to both William and Gabriella.
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She accompanied Princess Anne, a senior royal, to the funeral.
One year on, Prince William has pulled out of an appearance at the late King's memorial just hours before hand due to a "personal ?matter". However, it is not thought be due to Kingston's death.