Princess Beatrice stepped in for her mother, Sarah Ferguson, as she attended Paddy McNally’s funeral on Friday.
The royal, 38, was seen in the congregation at St James’s Church in Sevenhampton for a service of remembrance, which began at 10.30 am.
Beatrice, who did not appear to be accompanied by her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, was dressed in black, carrying a buckled bag.
She was seen nodding her head as a sign of respect and walking through the churchyard.
It’s thought that Beatrice was representing her mother, Sarah Ferguson, who dated Paddy before marrying Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in 1986. It implies that Beatrice is still in touch with Sarah, whose whereabouts are currently unknown after scrutiny over her friendship with the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
© Kelvin Bruce/James WhatlingWho was Sarah Ferguson’s ex Paddy McNally?
It was revealed in July that Paddy had passed away at the age of 88.
Paddy was a wealthy tycoon, with a background as a racing driver, who once worked alongside F1 icon Bernie Ecclestone in the business side of the sport.
© Kelvin Bruce/James WhatlingHe also owned valuable property, including many chalets in the popular Swiss ski resort, Verbier, where Sarah had reportedly been staying in recent months following her exile from Royal Lodge in Windsor.
The former couple had remained close friends after their split, with reports suggesting he “never stopped looking after her”.
© Kelvin Bruce/James WhatlingPaddy was once described as Sarah’s “father figure” due to their 22-year age gap, and they first met when she worked as a nanny for his two sons, Sean and Rollo, following the death of his wife, Anne Downing.
However, they broke up when the F1 mogul failed to propose after she gave him an ultimatum at the Italian Grand Prix.
© Kelvin Bruce/James WhatlingRecent reports have even suggested that Sarah could be in line to inherit part of his £600 million fortune.
Andrew Lownie, a recent biographer of Andrew, quoted Sarah as saying of her ex-boyfriend: “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.”
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