Prince William flew solo in attending funeral services for the late Thomas Kingston.
William, 41, was present at the Chapel Royal in St. James’s Palace in London on Tuesday, March 12, for the private ceremony after Kingston died suddenly last month at age 45..
Roughly 140 family and friends gathered for the funeral for Kingston, the late husband of King Charles III’s second cousin Lady Gabriella.
Charles, 75, was not in attendance as he continues to pull back on public appearances following his recent cancer diagnosis. Queen Camilla was also not present, as she had a prior engagement at Buckingham Palace.
Kingston, who formerly dated Princess Kate Middleton’s sister, Pippa Middleton, was found dead at his parents’ residence in the Cotswolds on February 25.
Days later, a coroner confirmed that Kingston had died after a gunshot wound to the head.
According to Katy Skerrett, the senior coroner in Gloucestershire, Kingston had lunch with his parents on the afternoon of his death. When his parents left to take the family dogs for a walk, they returned to find him locked in an outbuilding with a “catastrophic head injury.”
The funeral marked the latest public outing for William without his wife by his side after the Princess of Wales, 42, underwent abdominal surgery on January 16.
William supported the Earthshot Prize Launchpad at an event in London on Monday, March 11. The Launchpad is a new platform aimed at helping develop and make potential climate change solutions a reality.
The Prince of Wales gave an introductory message at the gathering, noting that the world is in the “critical decade” when it comes to climate change.
“And that is why, to have real impact, we must focus on supporting and developing as many solutions as possible and scale them at speed,” William remarked. “It is not an easy task.”
The whereabouts and well-being of Kate have been a hot topic of late, especially in the wake of an altered photo posted by the princess on Sunday, March, 10. Kate apologized for “editing” the photo after speculation arose that the picture had been manipulated.
Kate was then spotted riding in a vehicle alongside William on the morning of Monday, March 11, peering out the window with her face turned while leaving Windsor Castle.
William has done his best to downplay public interest in Kate’s condition, with his rep saying in a Wednesday, March 6, statement to People, “His focus is on work and not on social media.”
Kensington Palace has also asked for privacy in the wake of commotion about the princess, sharing in a February 29 statement they “made it clear” they would only be providing “significant updates” about Kate’s recovery. “That guidance stands,” the statement concluded.