On the latest episode of the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential, senior Editor-at-Large Richard Kay reveals one of the hideaways where disgraced former Duchess Sarah Ferguson has been spending her summer.
Kay was joined by Diary Editor Richard Eden to discuss the recent death of Fergie’s last serious boyfriend before Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Formula One mogul Paddy McNally.
McNally died aged 88 on 22 July, after a long illness. The pair met in Verbier, Switzerland, where Ferguson worked as a nanny to his two young sons following the death of his wife.
They were an item for three years between 1982 and 1985, despite a 22-year age gap. The relationship reportedly broke down when Fergie sought a marriage proposal from McNally.
On the latest Palace Confidential, senior Editor-at-Large Richard Kay reveals one of the hideaways where disgraced former duchess Sarah Ferguson has been spending her summer
Kay was joined by Diary Editor Richard Eden to discuss the recent death of Fergie’s last serious boyfriend before Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Formula One mogul Paddy McNally
After the romance ended, McNally and Fergie remained close friends, with the business mogul reportedly lending her and her daughters properties from his glitzy European portfolio.
Kay told Palace Confidential he believes Ferguson has been staying at McNally’s ‘luxuriously appointed’ Verbier villa this summer.
‘I understand that Sarah has been spending time at Paddy’s place in Verbier over the summer,’ he said.
‘That makes sense because these places have a completely different vibe during the summer. They’re not packed with Brits out there for skiing.
‘You get a few middle-aged people who like walking in the hills, but it’s much more laid-back and low-key. A perfect place to hide up.’
The last time Ferguson was seen in public was in December 2025, photographed ducking down in a car on her way to the christening of Beatrice’s second daughter, Athena.
McNally left a fortune estimated at around £600million, built on the 2006 sale of his Formula One hospitality business Allsport Management for £262million.
Reports have suggested Ferguson may be a beneficiary of McNally’s will, given his decades-long support of her.
Kay said he believes this is unlikely, noting that McNally is understood to have felt he had already provided generously for Ferguson throughout her life.
‘There’s been a lot of talk that Paddy might have left her a slice of his £600million – I am not sure that’s actually going to happen,’ the veteran royal reporter said.
Kay told Palace Confidential he believes Ferguson has been staying at McNally’s ‘luxuriously appointed’ Verbier villa this summer
‘People like Paddy would have had all sorts of trusts and things in place to take care of inheritance tax and other requirements. I have always been led to believe that he wanted to leave a sizeable amount of his money to various charities.
‘I also hear that he took the view that he had provided for her a great deal throughout her life.’
Watch the full episode, including why Richard Eden wants Prince Harry to step back from the Invictus Games, by subscribing to Palace Confidential on YouTube.
