Fergie’s F1 tycoon ex ‘never abandoned’ cash-strapped royal – but will she get a slice of his £600m fortune after death?

BELEAGUERED Sarah Ferguson could be set for a megabucks windfall after her long-time pal and benefactor Paddy McNally died leaving £600million. Fergie, 66, dated the F1 tycoon before marrying Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and stayed close to him for 40 years — once even calling the publicity-shy millionaire her “father figure”. Sarah Ferguson with Paddy McNally at the British Grand Prix in 1997 Credit: Shutterstock Fergie dated the F1 tycoon before marrying Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Credit: Collect During his final days, the motorsports mogul gave Fergie refuge at his £15million Swiss chalet after she was evicted from Royal Lodge and stripped of her Duchess of York title in disgrace over links to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Mr McNally, who had previously bankrolled his royal pal, died this week aged 88 after amassing a fortune that made him the 240th richest person in Britain. Sign up for the Royals newsletter Thank you! Speculation is already rife he made sure cash-strapped Fergie will not end up penniless after her Royal Family rejection. A source who knew them said: “Paddy always looked after Sarah and at times over the past four decades she needed a lot of looking after. He never abandoned her in life and even in his final days allowed her safe sanctuary at his home in Verbier.” Fergie fled the UK in February and shut down six of her companies before being tracked down by The Sun staying at a £2,000-a-night resort in Austria. It is understood she left the MayrLife Clinic before a 90-day limit on staying in the EU ran out, and was given refuge by her former lover Mr McNally, who has been unwell for many months. His eight-bedroom Verbier chalet, called Les Gais Lutins, includes a guest suite and was dubbed “Cocaine Castle” in the 1980s for hosting hedonistic parties for the rich and famous. It is near Andrew’s own former chalet Helora. Mr McNally’s multi-million pound property portfolio includes Ian Fleming’s former home, Sevenhampton Place, in Wiltshire. He paid £7million for it in 1987 and it now has an estimated value of £40million. Most read in Royals His estate also boasts property in Sotogrande, Spain, and St Tropez, France — where Fergie has also hunkered down at times of crisis. Last year, the Kent-born entrepreneur ranked 240th in the Sunday Times Rich List. He sold his Geneva-based Allsport Management firm 20 years ago for $350million. Mr McNally and Fergie had a romance between 1982 and 1985, despite their 22-year age difference. There were rumours she expected him to propose, but turned to Andrew when her hopes were dashed. Fergie and Andrew married 40 years ago at Westminster Abbey and would have celebrated their ruby wedding anniversary yesterday. Insiders said Mr McNally was often on hand to help in times of trouble. Fergie, who dated McNally between 1982 and 1985, was said to be expecting him to propose, but turned to Andrew when her hopes were dashed Credit: Getty Princess Beatrice pictured with the tycoon, left, in 2004 Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Fergie hid out at his Verbier chalet in April 1996 with daughters Beatrice and Eugenie when her divorce was announced. Mr McNally also spent half a million pounds on a villa for Fergie in Geneva, Switzerland. In August 2010, with Fergie £2million in debt, Mr McNally gave her refuge at his villa in Sotogrande, Spain, after she was made to sack staff and admit she did not have a “pot to p*** in”. According to Andrew Lownie’s book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of The House of York, Sarah once said: “Paddy was my father figure, twenty two years older than me. “He taught me so much about life. Whenever I wanted advice, I turned to him because he was so worldly wise. He seemed to have seen and done everything.” And Mr Lownie said: “I would not be surprised at all if he had taken care of her in his will or perhaps earlier. He was very, very good to her. He clearly had affection for her and kept in with her. But she often took advantage of his hospitality and, in many ways, played him.” Author and journalist Robert Jobson said: “He has always been there whenever he was needed. It would be surprising if he hadn’t left her some kind of legacy.” Fergie was stripped of her Duchess title and ordered out of Royal Lodge amid her and Andy’s worsening Epstein scandal links. Mcnally, above with F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone in 2011, left a huge £600m fortune behind Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Andrew’s former chalet Helora near Paddy McNally’s pad in Verbier Credit: EPA While there is no suggestion she has committed a criminal offence, sources suggested police want to quiz her about what she knew. Earlier this year, US Congressman Suhas Subramanyam urged her to testify about her “close personal and business ties” to Epstein. In the UK, nine police forces and the National Crime Agency are investigating the Epstein Files which, among their contents, contain emails that were exchanged between Ms Ferguson and Epstein. Some insiders now believe after Mr McNally bankrolled his former lover on and off over the past four decades, Fergie will be in line for an inheritance. Divorced Mr McNally has one son, Rollo, after son Sean died suddenly earlier this year. Fergie is believed to be homeless, while Andrew is exiled at Marsh Farm on the King’s Sandringham estate. There is not believed to be any appetite for Fergie to join him. She sold her Belgravia townhouse at a loss for £3.85million last year after renting it out for £4,000 a week. It is not known if she has any regular income, but has been eligible to draw her State Pension since turning 66 last October. But a source close to her insisted: “I have no knowledge of any expectation of any inheritance.” Mr McNally first made his mark on the racing industry as a Grand Prix reporter. He had a charmed upbringing in County Monaghan after moving to Ireland from Gravesend, Kent, for his father’s job as a Royal Air Force officer. The entrepreneur was educated at prestigious Roman Catholic boarding school Stonyhurst College, in Lancashire, before getting his first job as a journalist for Autosport magazine in London in the 1960s. At the same time, he dabbled in competitive sports car racing. After a couple of seasons, he moved into the advertising side of the business — and within a decade he was on his way to making his fortune. By the late 1970s he was a consultant for Philip Morris’s Marlboro brand and managing World Champion driver James Hunt. It was this role that brought him into close contact with F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone. McNally designed a uniform advertising system that optimised TV exposure. He secured exclusive rights to sell advertising at GP circuits. In 1983 he founded Geneva-based Allsport Management. By 1984 he had launched F1 Paddock Club — a VIP hospitality service. He retired in 2011. Sarah Ferguson’s spokesman declined to comment. Looked after in life and in death By Phil Dampier, Royal author SARAH Ferguson had always remained close to Paddy McNally, who was her first great love. In a different world, they might have ended up married but fate took them on different paths. She had always chosen to return to him in times of crisis and an assortment of troubles over the past 40 years. They remained close friends despite their 22-year age difference. There have been reports she was staying at his chalet in Verbier, Switzerland, and at his home in Wiltshire. It wouldn’t surprise me that Paddy has offered her refuge as she has clearly been looking for a sanctuary. He’d put her up many times before. Now, with this tragic turn of events, she must be quietly wondering whether he will look after her in his will. It would not surprise me if he had made provisions to help her financially in her time of desperate need. It may be the case that he would have prepared something, as he would have known that she is going through an extremely difficult time. Comment now