The Earl of Pembroke’s step-dad was found dead from a gunshot wound to the head just hours after his Scottish castle was listed for sale.
Stuart Wyndham Murray Threipland died instantly from the blast and was discovered close to his vehicle in the grounds of Wilton House, near Salisbury, Wiltshire on June 12.
The 76-year-old’s death came shortly after Dunbeath Castle and estate, in Caithness, was put up for sale with a £25m price tag, the Mirror reports.
An inquest on Thursday heard how Mr Threipland was found unresponsive while a shotgun lay nearby. A friend identified his body to the police.
A statement by Wiltshire Police said: "'Officers were called to an address in Wilton at 1.10pm on June 12 following a report of a sudden death of a man in his 70s.
"There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared on behalf of HM Coroner for Wiltshire."
A post mortem confirmed his cause of death was a gunshot wound to his head. Yesterday Wilton Mayor Andy Kinsey said Mr Threipland had rented a property off the Wilton Estate and often stayed there.
He added: "It is devastating really for his Lordship. It is very sad. I had met him (Stuart Threipland) a few times and his wife."
Further tests were ordered and the inquest was adjourned to a date to be fixed.
In an earlier statement, the family said: "Stuart Murray Threipland, known to many as Tertius, sadly died on June 12 in Wilton. He will be hugely missed by all his family."
Mr Threipland was married twice, first to Belinda Mary Musker, who was the mother of his three children and later married Claire Rose Pelly.
William Herbert, the 18th Earl of Pembroke, inherited the title when his father died of cancer in 2003.
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