The Dublin-born businesswoman and philanthropist helped build Penneys and Brown Thomas as part of her late husband Galen’s family retail empire

Ms Weston died in London on Saturday, where she had lived in recent years. It is understood her health deteriorated over the past week.

Born Hilary Frayne in Dún Laoghaire in 1942, she was the eldest of five children and attended Loreto Abbey, Dalkey.