One of the Queen’s Favorite Relatives Fainted as Her Majesty’s Coffin Arrived at Westminster Hall

(Image credit: Getty)

published 17 September 2022

It was just the blink of an eye ago that Lady Gabriella Windsor—daughter of the Queen’s cousin Prince Michael of Kent—was getting married in 2019 at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had married the year prior.

Gabriella was very close to Her Majesty, and many remember a candid, rather adorable moment shared between the two on Gabriella’s wedding day, as the bride bent down and held the Queen’s hand as they exchanged words. Her Majesty beamed back at her.

This week, as the Queen’s coffin arrived at Westminster Hall, Gabriella was, of course, there alongside the rest of her family at the service. According to Hello, “it was an emotional day for the royal family” (obviously so) “and it seems it all became too much for Lady Gabriella Windsor,” who fainted as Her Majesty’s coffin was moved inside Westminster Hall.

“A small commotion seemed to be occurring behind, where part of the Queen’s family were stood watching the coffin’s arrival,” the outlet reports. “Lady Gabriella’s husband, Thomas Kingston, could be seen aiding someone, while her mother, Princess Michael of Kent, appeared to look concerned as she looked over. Next to her, Sophie Winkleman and her husband Lord Frederick Windsor also seemed worried.”

Despite Gabriella collapse, the service continued uninterrupted as Her Majesty began to lie in state at Westminster Hall, where she remains ahead of her funeral on Monday. Thankfully, Gabriella seems to have recovered and will likely be at the Queen’s funeral.

“Following her collapse, Lady Gabriella was not seen again during the event,” Hello reports. “However, it seems she soon recovered as, while she was absent from a photo that featured all the members of the royal family, her husband, her mother, and brother and sister-in-law remained at the service.”

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.