Sir Richard Branson reveals heartbreaking twist that placed him beside wife Joan in her final moments

Sir Richard Branson has revealed an extraordinary twist of fate that placed him exactly where he needed to be during the most devastating moment of his life.

In an emotional Instagram post, the Virgin founder, 75, described how he spent his precious final hours with his wife, Joan, after circumstances unexpectedly brought them to the same hospital corridor.

“Fate has a strange way of working. As many already know, I’d come off my bike in India and hurt my shoulder,” Branson wrote, recalling a recent charity ride abroad. At the same time, Joan was in a hospital in England recovering from a back injury.

“In the way life sometimes surprises you, I found myself moved to a room just down the corridor from her,” he said.

“We laughed together about how typical it was of us to end up on the same floor, like love-struck teenagers delighted to find each other again.”

Branson said they shared a “lovely lunch,” describing Joan as being in “positive spirits” just hours before everything changed.

“Then suddenly, she was gone, quickly and painlessly. And thankfully, I was right by her side. It brings us all great comfort to know we were together,” he wrote.

He reflected on “an incredible final year we all had together,” speaking of the fullness of their family life.

His tribute follows the heartbreaking announcement that his wife of 50 years had died at age 80. Confirming the news earlier, Branson wrote: “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 x.”

The pair first crossed paths in 1976, when Joan was working in an antiques shop in Notting Hill. Branson has often said it was love at first sight. “I fell for Joan the moment I saw her,” he shared in 2020.

At the time, Joan was married to her childhood sweetheart, Ronnie Leahy, but after their divorce two years later, Branson began pursuing her. She teasingly called him “Tagalong” as he famously chased her affection, even buying Necker Island in an effort to impress her.

His persistence paid off. They married on that same island in 1989 and built a life together, raising daughter Holly, now 44, son Sam, 40, and welcoming five grandchildren: Etta, Artie, Lola, Eva-Deia and Bluey.