Petra, who is one of the heirs to the £2.5 billion fortune her father built through decades of controlling Formula One, first became interested in autism when her daughter Lavinia had delayed development.
She launched Petra’s Place in 2018 and spoke of creating a chain of similar centres in Britain and the US for children with developmental disabilities.
Last year, Petra’s Place managing director Sarah Kyle said it would be forced to close unless additional income could be generated after “main funder” Petra stopped financing the West London school.
A spokesman for Petra told the Mail Online that whilst Petra “has helped transition the business across to new management” and is supporting it financially for six months.
Petra Ecclestone declined to comment when approached by Express.co.uk.
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The heiress had previously spoken of her ambitions to set up a string of centres offering early intervention therapy and expertise for children with autism and special needs.
The statement read: “Having fully funded the creation and contributed to the costs of running the centre over the past five years, the Petra Ecclestone Foundation will support a new ownership transition over the coming months.”
Petra has previously spoken of the challenges of raising a child with learning difficulties as she opened a specialist treatment centre for autistic children.
Speaking to the Press Association in 2018, she described raising a child with learning difficulties as “draining”, adding that the sleepless nights could “tear apart” relationships.
She said: “These things can tear apart families. It’s a draining experience. Children on the spectrum, a percentage of them don’t sleep through the night.
“You have children that are seven or 10 years old but are still just constantly waking up. It takes a toll on every single person’s life, so for us to be able to stick together and support each other is such a difference.”
Petra explained her daughter Lavinia had been “non-verbal” until she was three-and-a-half but with subsequent therapy, she was able to attend mainstream school.
Bernie, 92, has three daughters, including Tamara, 38, and Petra, 34, from his second marriage to Slavica, a former model.
Petra shares three children with her first husband and businessman James Stunt.
The former couple share daughter Lavinia, 10 and they have twin boys, James and Andrew, aged seven.
Petra and James called it quits in 2017.
She has a daughter, Minnie, three, with the businessman Sam Palmer, whom she married in July at their home in Chelsea.
The couple tied the knot in a lavish home ceremony after the pair welcomed Minnie back in 2020.
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