Paddy McNally, a motorsport tycoon and former boyfriend of Sarah Ferguson, has died aged 88, just weeks after the death of his son Sean.
The former racing driver made his fortune running corporate hospitality at Formula One events. He died earlier this week.
Relationship with Sarah Ferguson
McNally dated the former Duchess of York for several years in the early 1980s before she married Prince Andrew. The pair remained close friends after their split, with Ferguson once calling him a 'father figure'.
It is reported that in his final weeks, McNally gave refuge to Ferguson in his Swiss ski chalet after she fled the UK following the release of the Epstein files. A source told The Sun: "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."
Career and legacy
Born in Kent in 1937 but raised in Ireland, McNally began as a motoring journalist and competed in several races before working for Marlboro. He later founded Allsport, a corporate hospitality company at Formula One events, amassing a fortune and property portfolio including Sevenhampton Place in Wiltshire, once owned by Ian Fleming.
He married Ann in 1967; she died in 1980. In 1982, he began a relationship with Ferguson, 22 years his junior, which ended in 1985.
McNally sold Allsport in 2006 for $350 million and was ranked 240th on the Sunday Times Rich List last year. The FIA paid tribute, saying: "The FIA is deeply saddened by the passing of Patrick Sean McNally. He worked closely with Bernie Ecclestone and played a significant role in the commercial growth of Formula 1. We thank him for his valuable contribution to the sport."
His son Sean died suddenly in April in the Scottish Highlands.
