The former Duchess of York has barely been seen in public for months, and a veteran royal correspondent says she knows exactly where Sarah Ferguson has been hiding, at the Alpine retreat of a deceased Formula One mogul who may or may not have left her a penny.
Richard Kay, the Daily Mail's senior editor-at-large, said on the outlet's Palace Confidential program that Ferguson has been spending time this summer at a villa in Verbier, Switzerland, owned by the late Paddy McNally. McNally, a Formula One hospitality mogul whose fortune has been estimated at roughly £600 million, died on July 22 at age 88 after a long illness.
Ferguson and McNally go back more than four decades. She worked as a nanny to his two young sons in Verbier after his wife died, and the two were a couple from 1982 to 1985, a three-year relationship separated by a 22-year age gap. McNally was, by Kay's account, Ferguson's last serious boyfriend before she began her relationship with Prince Andrew.
Kay said the Swiss ski town makes sense as a summer retreat precisely because it empties out once the snow melts.
"That makes sense because these places have a completely different vibe during the summer. They're not packed with Brits out there for skiing."
He added that summer Verbier draws only "a few middle-aged people who like walking in the hills" and called it "much more laid-back and low-key. A perfect place to hide up."
Ferguson's public profile has shrunk dramatically. Her last confirmed sighting came in December 2025, when she was photographed ducking down in a car on her way to the christening of Princess Beatrice's second daughter, Athena. Beyond that single image, she has been largely invisible, an unusual posture for a woman who spent decades courting media attention.
McNally built his wealth through Allsport Management, a Formula One hospitality business he sold in 2006 for £262 million. Speculation has swirled since his death about whether Ferguson stands to inherit any portion of his estate.
Kay poured cold water on that idea. He acknowledged "a lot of talk" that McNally might have left Ferguson "a slice of his £600 million" but said he doubts it will happen. His reasoning was blunt: McNally was the kind of man who planned ahead.
"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."
Kay went further, saying McNally felt he had already done enough for Ferguson over the years.
"I also hear that he took the view that he had provided for her a great deal throughout her life."
That provision reportedly included lending Ferguson and her daughters properties from McNally's portfolio of European real estate. The two remained close friends for decades after their romantic relationship ended, a split that, according to Kay, came when Ferguson pressed McNally for a marriage proposal and he declined.
Neither Ferguson nor a representative has publicly confirmed or denied that she has been staying at the Verbier villa. Kay sourced his claim to what he "understands" and has "been led to believe," without naming a specific informant. McNally's will has not been publicly filed or disclosed, leaving the inheritance question entirely unresolved.
The lack of hard answers has not stopped the chatter. And the image of a former royal, long dogged by financial troubles and personal scandal, quietly occupying the Alpine home of a deceased billionaire ex-boyfriend tells its own story, whether or not a single franc from his estate ever reaches her accounts.
When the public square gets uncomfortable, Verbier in July beats London every time.
