Peep Show icon Sophie Winkleman, also known as Lady Frederick Windsor, has spoken out about the death of her sister-in-law’s late husband, Thomas Kingston, saying it was a ‘tragedy’
Sophie Winkleman has spoken about Thomas Kingston’s “brutal” death. Thomas, the late husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston, tragically died in February last year.
He died of a shotgun wound to the head, after suffering an adverse effect of prescribed medication, a coroner found. A gun was found close to his body on February 24, 2024, at his parents’ home in the Cotswolds. During an inquest at Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court, Lady Gabriella, the daughter of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, stated people need to be warned about the effects of medication which is used to treat mental health.
Peep Show legend Sophie, who is married to Lady Gabriella’s brother, Lord Frederick, has a very close relationship with her royal in-laws and admits she and her family are still devastated by Thomas’ death.
“That was a big tragedy in our lives, and we all miss him every day. My girls adored him,” she said in a new interview. Sophie, who, while she uses her maiden name for work, is styled as Lady Frederick, went on to tell The Sunday Times: “It’s brutal. We’re still in touch with all his family and it feels like he’s still with us.”
Since Thomas’ death, Lord Frederick has started working with the charity, James’ Place, which helps men who are battling suicidal thoughts. Sophie, who tonight stars in the BBC series, Black Cherry said: “It’s not a positive to come out of it at all, but it makes you so much more aware that the exterior of someone can be very different from what’s going on inside.”
In a statement read out by the senior coroner for Gloucestershire at Thomas’s inquest, Lady Gaga said: “(Work) was certainly a challenge for him over the years, but I highly doubt it would have led him to take his own life, and it seemed much improved. If anything had been troubling him, I’m positive that he would have shared that he was struggling severely.
“The fact that he took his life at the home of his beloved parents suggests the decision was the result of a sudden impulse.” Lady Gabriella, a musician, believed that Thomas’ death was “likely provoked” by an adverse reaction to medication he had started and later stopped taking in the weeks leading up to his death.
Initially, he had been prescribed the antidepressant Sertraline, as well as Zopiclone, a sleeping tablet, by the GP at the Royal Mews Surgery, after complaining of issues with sleep due to stress at work.
Thomas said that the medication was not helping him, and his GP replaced Sertraline with Citalopram, another selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used as an antidepressant. “The lack of any evidence of inclination, it seems highly likely to me that he had an adverse reaction to the pills that led him to take his life,” Lady Gabriella said.
The royal added: “I believe anyone taking pills such as these need to be made more aware of the side effects to prevent any future deaths. If this could happen to Tom, this could happen to anyone.”
If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123. Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch
If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk
Source: Mirror
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