Richard Branson’s wife Joan, 80, died of blood clot two weeks after fall, coroner hears

Sir Richard Branson’s wife Joan died of a blood clot, aged 80, two weeks after a fall, the coroner has heard.

Lady Joan Sarah Drummond Branson passed away at London Bridge Hospital on 24 November 2025 following complications from a back injury sustained in a fall.

The pre-inquest hearing heard his family, particularly Sir Richard, 75, their daughter Holly, 44, and son Sam, 41, did not want to share blame for the death.

A full inquest into his death will be held later this year.

It is expected to be examined whether Lady Branson should be given blood thinners if she also wears anticoagulant socks. Mirror reports.

Speaking at the hearing at Inner West London Coroner’s Court, Holly said: ‘I believe my mother took great care. Doctors saved his life three years ago and gave us the opportunity to be together for three more years.

‘If there are lessons to be learned, we want to help other families.’

Senior Professor of Forensic Medicine Fiona Wilcox told the court that expert witnesses would testify as to whether Lady Branson being prescribed the anti-coagulant Heparin could have prevented her death.

Couple on their wedding day on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands

The court heard Lady Branson had a history of blood clots dating back to at least 2010.

Then one morning in 2018, he woke up to find his leg was three times larger than it normally was.

After being admitted to hospital, she and Sir Richard were informed that she had a series of blood clots from her ankle to her groin; This was one of the worst cases doctors had ever seen.

Lady Branson was prescribed Warfarin and given a compression clot but was warned she was at risk of a ‘massive pulmonary embolism’.

He had emergency surgery to install an umbrella structure in his leg that prevented clots from entering his lungs.

When Lady Branson died, her husband, Virgin businessman Sir Richard, was in the same hospital with her after injuring his shoulder in a cycling accident.

Sharing the news last year, he said: ‘I am deeply saddened to share that Joan, my wife and partner of 50 years, has passed away.

‘She was the most wonderful mother and grandmother our children and grandchildren could ever ask for. He was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world. ‘I will love you forever, Joan.’

The couple’s daughter Holly recently paid an emotional tribute to her late mother as she reflected on the ‘initial shock and pain’ of her passing

Sir Richard and Lady Branson first met in 1976 at The Manor, a former recording studio in Oxfordshire, England.

Announcing her death, Sir Richard described Lady Branson as ‘my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world’.

He later added that Lady Branson died ‘quickly and painlessly’ and that he had shared lunch with her on the day she died.

Holly also paid an emotional tribute to her late mother as she reflected on the ‘initial shock and pain’ of her passing, describing her as ‘one in a billion, smart and kind’.

Holly, who shared photos with Joan throughout her childhood, said that she and her family “felt very loved” following the increased sympathy following her mother’s death.

The family held a beachside gathering for friends and family to remember him at his private 74-acre estate on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.

Sir Richard and Glasgow-born Lady Branson first met in 1976 at The Manor, a former recording studio in Oxfordshire, England.

At the time, the former model was working in an antique shop in Notting Hill, not far from the Virgin office.

The couple had three children, Holly, Sam and Clare Sarah. Clare Sarah died shortly after her birth in 1979.