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The daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent today faces her fifth wedding anniversary without her beloved husband by her side.
Instead of waking up with her late husband Thomas Kingston at 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, rather than exchanging wooden gifts, Ella, as she is known to family and friends, is mourning the man whom she dated for three years before he proposed to her on the Channel Island of Sark.
Thomas, a committed Christian former and Iraqi hostage negotiator, died in February.
While less starry than the weddings of Prince Harry and Princess Eugenie, who were also married at Windsor Castle, Lady Gabriella’s and Thomas’s nuptials had an equally dazzling array of guests, including a contingent of senior Royals.
Both the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh watched her walk down the aisle in a bespoke gown by Italian couturier Luisa Beccaria and delicate veil made from layers of white tulle and embroidered flowers.
Thomas Kingston kisses his new bride on the steps of St George’s Chapel on a gloriously sunny day with nearly all of the senior members of the Royal family in attendance, May 2019
Lady Gabriella Windsor married Thomas Kingston at Winsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel in 2019
Prince Harry arrived with Lady Frederick Windsor but his wife Meghan Markle couldn’t make it
And while William and Kate could not make the occasion, 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 teamed her dress with the Russian Fringe-style tiara worn by both her grandmother, Princess Marina, and mother, Princess Michael of Kent, on their wedding days.
And, in her bouquet, of Juliet roses, lily of the valley, white and apricot sweet peas, was a creamy Ivory ‘Ella’ rose by David Austin, as well as myrtle, a feature of Royal bridal bouquets since Queen Victoria.
‘I wanted to surprise both of my parents on the day so worked closely with Luisa without any family seeing the dress as it came together until my wedding day,’ she told Hello! magazine after the wedding.
But there was a technical hitch as she walked down the aisle. ‘Suddenly I could feel my tiara start to pull back and in those few unnerving moments I thought it would come crashing down with an almighty clunk.
‘My little bridesmaids had accidentally wandered on to my very sheer tulle 20ft veil. I slowed down until they’d stepped off it, but then it happened again. Fortunately, my hairdresser had pinned the tiara in place, and it stood 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 regal affair: the 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 guestlist.
While Prince William and wife Kate, were unable to make the wedding, due to previous commitments, the Middleton family was out in force.
Both the Queen (above) and Prince Philip attended. Lady Gabriella was always a favourite of Her Late Majesty
Gabriella’s delicate veil was made from 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 were out in force but unfortunately Prince William and Kate couldn’t make it
Lady Gabriella was chatting to her bridesmaid during this happy family picture
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward , Princess Beatrice all waved the happy couple off
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 snapped the happy couple with their entourage of bridesmaids and pageboys.
A favourite with the Royal family, he took the wedding pictures of both the King and Queen and Prince and Princess of Wales as well as Charles and Camilla’s Coronation photographs.
Guests were then ferried 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.
Organised 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, who was a 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 favourite songs Will You Love Me Tomorrow. ‘There were a few tears but I’m not sure if it was because they were moved or wanted me to stop,’ she said afterwards.
Thomas was found dead with a shotgun near his body in an outbuilding at his parents’ home in the Cotswolds. There were no suspicious circumstances.
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