Late wife of Sir Alex Ferguson, Lady Cathy, leaves more than £3m estate in will after she died aged 84

Sir Alex Ferguson’s late wife, Lady Cathy Ferguson, left an estate valued at over £3 million, according to recent probate papers. Lady Cathy, who died last year at the age of 84, married the football icon in 1966, shortly before his transfer to Rangers. The couple first met in 1964 when Sir Alex was 23 and playing for Dunfermline Athletic. Throughout Sir Alex's illustrious career, Lady Cathy stood by his side, witnessing his triumphs with Aberdeen and Manchester United.

The couple had three sons: Mark, Darren, and Jason. By the time of her death, Lady Cathy's estate was valued at £3,181,310, with her gross estate initially estimated at £3,299,823. Her will, written in October 2019, directed that her fortune be held in trust for the benefit of Sir Alex and their family.

Lady Cathy’s funeral in Glasgow was attended by numerous notable figures from the football world, including David Beckham, Darren Fletcher, Gary Neville, Nicky Butt, Michael Carrick, Bryan Robson, and Steve Bruce. Other attendees included Scotland legend Kenny Dalglish, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers, and former Rangers assistant Archie Knox.

In his autobiography, Managing My Life, Sir Alex highlighted the crucial role Cathy played in his success, describing her as the "mainstay of our family" and crediting her with the upbringing of their sons. He expressed profound gratitude for her support, saying: "Without her down-to-earth attitude to life and her unstinting support, none of it would have been possible."

Before the 2001/02 season, Sir Alex had announced his intention to retire, but Cathy encouraged him to reconsider, leading to United winning six more Premier League titles and another Champions League before his eventual retirement in 2013.

At Lady Cathy's funeral, their son Jason delivered an emotional eulogy, reminiscing about her lack of interest in football and her dedication to family. He said: "She had no interest in football, she never went to the games, apart from the cup finals where she would sit with my aunty Bridget and just chat through the game completely oblivious to what was going on."

He added: "For other games, she used to have Teletext on the telly in the kitchen and check in at half time and full time. So my dad got on with football and my mum raised the kids. As a family, we are obviously devastated but right now standing here I am happy, I'm happy she got the send off my dad wanted.

"I’m happy she got the send off she deserves and I am happy she is at peace. My dad said to me the other day, which that I thought sums it up, that 'The Gorbals girl has come home'. God bless you mum."