Miner’s son who built £40m fortune

BORN the son of a coal miner in Rotherham, northern England, David Matthews managed to amass a reputed £40million (€46million).

His father started him on the road to better things by leaving mining and setting up his own garage near the town. Mr Matthews started work there as an apprentice mechanic.

He soon found, however, that he was better at selling cars, through gruelling door-to-door rounds, than fixing them. He did try his hand at motor racing, and was seen as promising until he was in a serious crash at Silverstone. It left another driver dead.

Instead, Mr Matthews concentrated on building his own second-hand car empire, with motor dealerships and interests in luxury coach-making.

His first marriage was to Anita Taylor, herself a motor racing driver. They had a daughter, Nina, but later divorced.

He married for a second time to Bohemian artist Jane Spencer Parker, now 70. She was working as a receptionist at Christian Dior when Mr Matthew saw a picture of her, and was so taken that he tracked her down and married her. After living in a Rotherham bungalow, the couple moved to Paris, then Monaco. On holiday in 1995 they loved the Eden Rock hotel on the Caribbean isle of St Barts so much they bought it.

He and Ms Spencer Parker had three sons. James and Michael were born within 18 months of each other – but there was a 13year gap before the youngest, Spencer, came along. Spencer, now 28, found fame on reality TV show Made in Chelsea. This month Spencer and fiancée Vogue Williams announced they are expecting a baby together.