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

By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 15:22, 6 May 2026 | Updated: 15:29, 6 May 2026 Sir Richard Branson's wife Joan died aged 80 from a blood clot two weeks after a fall, a coroner has heard.  Lady Joan Sarah Drummond Branson passed away at London Bridge Hospital on November 24, 2025, following complications from a back injury she obtained as a result of a fall. A pre-inquest hearing has heard her family, most notably Sir Richard and her daughter Holly, 44, are not looking to apportion blame over the death. A full inquest into her death will be held later this year.  It is expected to examine whether Lady Branson should have been prescribed blood thinners if she was also wearing anti-clot stockings, the Mirror reports. Speaking at the hearing at Inner West London Coroners' Court, Holly said: 'I believe mum had great care. The doctors saved her life three years ago, giving us all three more years together.  'We just want to help other families if there are any lessons to be learned.'  Senior Coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox told the court that expert witnesses will testify as to whether prescribing Lady Branson the anti-coagulant Heparin could have prevented her death. Lady Joan Sarah Drummond Branson passed away at London Bridge Hospital on November 24, 2025, following complications from a back injury she obtained as a result of a fall Lady Branson had a history of blood clots, the court heard, going back at least as far as 2010.  Then in 2018, she awoke one morning in 2018 to find her leg three times the size it usually was. After rushing to hospital, she and Sir Richard were informed that she had a series of blood clots from her ankle to her groin, in one of the worst cases doctors had seen. Lady Branson was prescribed Warfarin and given a compression clot, but was warned she remained at risk of a 'major pulmonary embolism'.  She had urgent surgery to install an umbrella structure in her leg, which prevented any of the clots from entering her lungs.  At the time of Lady Branson's death, her husband, Virgin tycoon Sir Richard, was in the same hospital as her, having injured his shoulder in a bike accident. Sharing the news last year, he said: 'Heartbroken to share that Joan, my wife and partner for 50 years, has passed away.  'She was the most wonderful mum and grandmum our kids and grandkids could have ever wished for. She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world. Love you forever, Joan.' He later added Lady Branson died 'quickly and painlessly', and that he had shared lunch with her on the day of her death.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.