His truly was a life lived in the fast lane, taking him from Gravesend, his Kent birthplace, to the Swiss ski resort of Verbier, where he owned no fewer than three chalets, one of which became mischievously known as ‘Cocaine Castle’, and also to Sevenhampton Place in Wiltshire, a property in St Tropez and a grouse moor in Scotland.It also brought him the profound and undying affection of Sarah Ferguson, who hoped to marry him.Aged 88, Paddy McNally has reached the chequered flag, dying peacefully after a long illness – just two months after I disclosed the sudden death of his son Sean, one of his two boys by his late wife Anne. ‘He was in a bad way for a while so this comes as good news,’ reflects one old friend.For Fergie, the sense of loss will be profound. A friend tells me that, at the moment, she has no comment to make – in public, at least.In private, it would be remarkable if she did not reflect on what might have been – had McNally, 22 years her senior, asked her to marry him. They met after Fergie was recruited to look after Sean and his brother Rollo, following Anne’s death in 1980. Sarah Ferguson and Paddy McNally at the British Grand Prix in 2001McNally, a charmer who’d been educated at £54,000-a-year Stonyhurst College, was well on his way to amassing a fortune, thanks to his work alongside Bernie Ecclestone, revolutionising F1 corporate entertainment with the Formula One Paddock Club.His riches allowed him to indulge chums in all manner of adult entertainment – much to Fergie’s delight. But their three-year affair ended in 1985. A year later, she became engaged to the then Prince Andrew.The Rolling Stones have been rocking fans for seven decades, but Sir Mick Jagger isn’t sure time will be on their side in the future.‘Pop music is by its own very definition ephemeral, so it’s here today, gone tomorrow, really,’ says the singer, 83 this weekend. ‘You might get a No 1 on the charts, you have one song that will be remembered by some people of that generation, it will remind them of their youth.But younger people won’t ever want to listen to that.’ Well, who wants yesterday’s pop stars?Clunes: a man ageing badly?Martin Clunes was left as grumpy as his character Doc Martin after he made a guest appearance in the US version of the long-running ITV drama.The Men Behaving Badly actor, 64, wasn’t asked to wear ageing make-up to play the father of the main character played by Josh Charles, 54, in Best Medicine. ‘There’s only about ten years between me and Josh, so I got my agent to ask if they had anyone who could do make-up to make me look older,’ Clunes says. ‘But the question was never answered – so thanks a bunch!’Sangster dazzles in DIY dressHas a bride ever been more perfectly equipped for her big day than Ella May Sangster, granddaughter of the late, great racing tycoon Robert Sangster?Not simply because of the five-year quest that preceded the Berkshire wedding at St Lawrence’s Church, Hungerford – a quest, conducted with journalist boyfriend Hughie de Zulueta, to find the most deliciously destabilising Martini in London, which concluded with Hughie’s proposal to her.No, the secret is that she not only has her own bridal brand, Ella May London, but made her own intricately crafted dress, abetted by her Ukrainian seamstress. It took months,’ says Ella May, 31, pictured with my colleague Hughie, 32, great-grandson of author Daphne du Maurier.The bride concedes that she outsourced one detail – to her 90-year-old grandmother.‘She handmade the veil,’ Ella May admits.Delighted to have received his first acting prize in decades – the Golden Bee Icon Award at the Mediterrane Film Festival in Malta – John Cleese complains there’s a sting in the tail: ‘I asked if they would send it to me in the UK. Now DHL are asking me to pay £965. Asking the film festival how much it’s worth would seem a bit rude.’Stokes scores £4.1m not outHe’s just smacked 108 not out off 123 balls – including three sixes – to see Durham through to a five-wicket win over Derbyshire in his first innings since retiring from international cricket. But that match is not the only thing that Ben Stokes has taken by the scruff of the neck. The former England captain's finances have flourished in the past yearI can disclose that, under the indomitable former England captain’s stewardship, his company, BAS Promotions, has recorded a very tasty £600,000 profit. Documents just filed at Companies House show that Stokes, 35, now has £4.1million tucked away in BAS, up from £3.5million at the end of its previous financial year. Keeps the scoreboard ticking over nicely.King Charles loves few things more than his flowers at Highgrove.Now, he is raising cash for his charitable foundation by selling off prints of a painting of his wildflower meadow at his Gloucestershire retreat – at the distinctly regal price of £10,000. One of the orginal artworks that will set buyers back £10,000‘Part of an exclusive collection of the King’s original artworks, this piece captures the harmony of Highgrove Gardens and reflects His Majesty’s passion for nature and art,’ gushes the Highgrove shop. ‘One of only ten, each lithograph is numbered, dated, and hand-signed.