Peter Beatty

An heiress in her own right, Beatty's mother was the only daughter of Marshall Field, an American millionaire who was involved in the department store business in Chicago.

[6] Aly Khan and his wife, Rita Hayworth, were Beatty's guests at the castle for the running of the Epsom Derby in June 1949.

[9] In 1936 Beatty inherited Reigate Priory, the last private individual to own the property, and added stables to the grounds for his racehorses.

King George VI, whose horse, Licence, was also entered in the race, invited Beatty to the Royal Box after the win.

[17] Beatty died on 26 October 1949 after falling from a sixth floor window of The Ritz Hotel, London, having been informed that he was going completely blind.

[2][18] At the time of his death, Beatty's eyesight had failed to the point where he needed to be in the company of his valet to walk.

He was wearing his pyjamas and a robe when he told his valet he was going to the sixth floor of the Ritz to visit friends there.

[7][19] A coroner's verdict was that Beatty had committed suicide, since he had recently learned that there was no hope of saving his sight.