Am I out of my mind, blogging for the second time this week about the death of minor royal Thomas Kingston? Probably. I don’t have a lot to say about someone I had never heard of before his death was announced this week, other than to say that the death of anyone at such a young age – he was 45 – is very sad. As with the family of TV’s Hairy Biker Dave Myers, who also died this week, Kingston’s family asked for privacy following his death. As I suggested in my previous blog on the subject, fat chance.
X, the social media outfit formerly known as twitter, can be a great fun place to be but it can also be an utterly vile place, too, and Kingston’s death has shown X’s ugly side once more. If this blog was likely to be read by the royal family, I wouldn’t publish what follows because, after having given the matter considerable thought – about two minutes of considerable thought, actually – I’m going to show you some of the ugliest stuff you have ever seen on social media. Take a look at these posts:
‘Hello? BREAKING NEWS. Thomas Kingston the son-in-law of Prince Michael of Kent died of a traumatic head wound reports Sky News. You will recall that the Royal Reporters said Prince William’s sudden absence from the King Constantine Memorial service has NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS.
‘Feb 27: Prince William refuses to appear in public 1 hour before an engagement Thomas Kingston’s death is announced along with the palace brief that but William is not connected to it Feb 29: William shows up with a bruised neck & swollen eye Mar 1: Kingston died of gunshot wound‘
‘So there was no foul play or suspicious circumstances in Thomas Kingston’s death!!! William DEFINITELY wasn’t connected to it and that’s a shadow on his neck not a bruise…..OK, whatever the official statement says‘
‘Very sad about Thomas Kingston but what the hell is it about marrying into that family!’
‘I personally had never heard of Thomas Kingston before the British media had his death in the same sentence with Prince William protesting his innocence. And since I think doth protesteth too much!
‘Where did William disappear to during his ‘personal matters’ excuse and why did they hide Thomas Kingston‘s news of passing for 2 days? By the way #WhereIsKateMiddleton’British Royal,British Royal,
‘Thomas Kingston blew his brains out. Traumatic head wound, says the British media. At the end of the day, the foxes always win.’
Had enough? So have I. More than enough, thank you very much. But this is the deranged world of many people out there in the world, who frankly should be locked away in a darkened room until they have anything useful to say. And seriously. Some of this stuff.
I’d find it very hard to engage in any way with someone who seriously thought Kingston was murdered by Prince William. But it’s worse than that. It’s the sheer heartlessness that shocks me.
Is it really not possible for people to show even a modicum of sympathy to the family and friends of the bereaved? You don’t have to know someone to be sad when they die. I remember being very upset when Labour leader and the best prime minister we never had John Smith died and I felt the same levels of distress when John Lennon was murdered and Beach Boy Carl Wilson died of cancer. Christ, I’ve even been to the funerals of people I never met to support their loved ones. I’m no saint, I’m nothing special, I’m not better than anyone else. I just have feelings, like you do. And if I hear a sad story, like the one about Thomas Kington, then I feel for my fellow human beings. It’s part of what makes us human, isn’t it?
I used to be worse than this, mind you. I could slip into the gutter with the very worst of people and say things that were better left unsaid. I reckon I’ve usually been a good, decent person, but I have had moments where I wasn’t. Let he who is without sin and all that.
Kingston’s family won’t see this blog and I hope they don’t see all the stuff on X, either. There’s always some scumbag who isn’t bothered about the privacy of a grieving family (see above). I hope I’m not that scumbag given that I’ve now blogged twice about it and I hope the family get the answers and peace they need and deserve.
