Ian Wooldridge, 52, died when a private helicopter came down near Leitrim Lodge in Carcullion, outside Hilltown.

The construction boss was a friend of the Royal family and had been traveling with a close polo friend of Prince Charles.

Wooldridge was a member of the Guard’s polo club in Windsor and was linked with Harcourt Developments and the regeneration of the Titanic Quarter in Belfast’s docklands.

He ran the £40m turnover Surrey-based Wooldridge Group with his brother Graham. The firm, a member of the National Federation of Demolition Contractors, employs around 300 and runs a fleet of more than 400 machines.

The business has operated as a demolition, land remediation and construction company for more than 30 years, covering jobs from the expansion of facilities at the royal polo club to demolition works at the prestigious One Hyde Park development in London.