Actress Sophie Winkleman has broken her silence about the heartbreaking loss of a cherished family member who died in the Cotswolds last year.
Thomas Kingston, husband to Sophie’s sister-in-law Lady Gabriella Kingston, died by suicide on February 24, 2024, at his parents' home. An inquest at Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court revealed he had been experiencing severe side effects from prescribed mental health medication.
Nearly a year after the inquest, Sophie, who has been married to Lady Gabriella’s brother Lord Frederick Windsor since 2009, spoke candidly to The Sunday Times about the devastation the tragedy caused. The mother of two and half-sister to presenter Claudia Winkleman said, “That was a huge tragedy for our family, and we miss him every single day. My daughters adored him. It’s brutal. We still keep in close contact with all his family; it feels like he’s still with us.”
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The inquest disclosed that Thomas, a 45-year-old financier, was found with a shotgun nearby. Lady Gabriella, daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, emphasized the need for greater awareness about the potentially dangerous side effects of mental health medications.
Sophie expressed her close bond with her royal in-laws and the profound impact Thomas’ death has had on the entire family. Since the tragedy, Lord Frederick has joined forces with James' Place, a charity supporting men struggling with suicidal thoughts. Sophie, who stars in the BBC’s upcoming series Black Cherry, remarked, “While this tragedy brought no positives, it has heightened our awareness that people’s outward appearances can hide struggles deep inside.”
At the inquest, Lady Gabriella shared a heartbreaking statement acknowledging that while Thomas faced work challenges over the years, she doubted these alone drove him to take his life. “If he was severely struggling, he would have told us,” she said. She noted that his decision appeared sudden, taking place at his beloved parents’ home.
Lady Gabriella, also a musician, believes Thomas’ suicide was likely triggered by adverse reactions to medication he began and later stopped taking in the weeks before his death. He had been prescribed Sertraline for stress-related sleep problems, later switched to Citalopram, both antidepressants, alongside Zopiclone sleeping tablets.
“The absence of any known intent, and the timing, make it highly likely the pills had a harmful effect leading to his death,” Lady Gabriella told the inquest. She urged that patients be better informed about medication side effects to prevent future tragedies. “If this could happen to Tom, it could happen to anyone,” she warned.