EXCLUSIVE: Sarah Ferguson's $800Million Bail Out — How Desperate Ex-Duchess' Life Could Be Saved by Inheritance Windfall

Sarah Ferguson is facing fresh questions over her finances after the death of Paddy McNally, the F1 mogul and former lover who once acted as her protector, benefactor and refuge in moments of royal disgrace.

RadarOnline.com can reveal the 66-year-old former duchess could be in line for support from McNally's estimated $800million fortune after the 88-year-old businessman died this week, following decades in which he helped her through debt, divorce, scandal and exile from royal life.

Ferguson, once married to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, and now stripped of her Duchess of York title, had relied on McNally for shelter before and after her fall from favor, including stays at his chalet in Verbier, Switzerland, and his property in Sotogrande, Spain.

McNally, who dated Ferguson from 1982 to 1985, remained close to her for about 40 years, and was described by her as a "father figure."

One source who knew the pair claimed: "People who knew them would say Paddy was always the steady hand in Sarah's life. Over the years, when she was under pressure or in trouble, he was one of the few who kept showing up, and even in his final days he made sure she had somewhere private and secure to go in Verbier."

McNally, who made his fortune through Formula One advertising and hospitality, had been unwell for months before his death.

His chalet, Les Gais Lutins, in Verbier, became a haven for Ferguson after she was evicted from Royal Lodge and left the UK in February, while her business interests were wound down and she was found at a clinic in Austria before moving on.

The eight-bedroom property, once known as "Cocaine Castle" for its hedonistic parties in the 1980s, sits near Andrew's former chalet, Helora, and has long been part of McNally's wide property portfolio.

A second insider claimed: "Those close to Paddy believed he remained deeply protective of Sarah, and there was a strong feeling that he would have made sure she was looked after. After years of stepping in whenever she was in difficulty, few would have been surprised if he had arranged some form of provision for her so she would not be left vulnerable."

Ferguson and McNally's relationship dated back to the early 1980s, when she was in her 20s and he was in his 40s.

Their romance ended before she married Andrew in 1986, but McNally remained a constant during later crises, including her 1996 divorce, when she hid out with her daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, at his Verbier home.

According to Andrew Lownie's book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of The House of York, Ferguson once said: "Paddy was my father figure – 22 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."