Lady Gabriella Kingston has given a rare new interview just 15 months after her husband, Thomas Kingston, died. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent’s daughter opened up about her new role as patron of Restore the Music, a charity aiming to promote music education for young people in the UK, and paid a sweet tribute to the Princess of Wales, who she has previously worked with, while also revealing her plans for the future.
The royal has kept herself busy with the firm support of the Royal Family, who rallied around her after her husband died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds following “an adverse reaction to medication” last year in February. Last Christmas, she was asked by the Princess of Wales to help with her Christmas Carol concert at Westminster Abbey, bringing her experience as a singer-songwriter.
The concert even featured some of the students involved with Restore the Music as they performed outside the Abbey.
Now in a new interview with Hello! magazine, Lady Gabriella, or Ella Windsor as she is known on stage, heaped praise on Princess Kate while talking about last year’s Christmas Carol concert.
She told the magazine: “It was such an honour to be involved, and very thoughtful and kind-hearted of the Princess to include me. I was very touched.
“She was so lovely to work with, always gracious, very creative and with so much vision and passion for the many charities and causes she supports.”
Lady Gabriella revealed that despite working closely with the future Queen, she did not know all the details of the big event ahead of the night.
Princess Kate famously kept a ballet performance a secret from her daughter Princess Charlotte before the big day.
The royal said: “There were surprises for everyone, even the people involved.
“It was a very special idea of hers to include ballet dancers at the concert – I didn’t know that there would be children as well as adult dancers, all brightly and beautifully dressed as they danced through the abbey. It was a wonderful gathering of creative people, and it was extremely moving. I loved it and I was really touched to be asked. It was very kind of her.”
In April, Lady Gabriella was named patron of Restore the Music after working with them closely for a few years.
At the time, the charity praised the royal, saying on social media: “We’re thrilled to announce Lady Ella Windsor as the new Patron of RTM! A huge advocate for how music can help young people.”
The royal said of her new role: “Restore the Music’s work has such an impact on the lives of these children, both through music and in general. To date, the charity has served 110,000 young people across the UK. And it’s growing.”
She also revealed her passion for music started from when she was still a child, explaining: “I remember going to a delightful programme when I was very little called Fun with Music. It was led by this amazing lady, Ann Rachlin, who created an enchanting world for us, telling us stories set to classical music which brought the pieces to life. She sat in this wonderful big wicker chair with a high back – that was my first very magical and memorable experience of music when I was tiny.”
