The cause of death of Sir Richard Branson's wife, Lady Joan Branson, has been revealed as a blood clot following a fall two weeks earlier. The 80-year-old died on 24 November last year at The Lister Hospital in London, a pre-inquest hearing was told.
Speaking at the hearing at Inner West London Coroners’ Court, the couple's daughter Holly said the family was not looking to blame anyone. “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,” she said.
Senior Coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox confirmed that an inquest later this year would examine whether Lady Branson should have been prescribed blood thinners and whether she was wearing anti-clot stockings at the time of her death. The inquest, scheduled for September, will hear evidence from a haematologist on whether the anti-coagulant Heparin would have prevented her death given her history of clots.
Lady Branson had suffered from blood clots since at least 2010. In 2018, Sir Richard wrote about how she had woken up with a severely swollen leg and was treated with a novel procedure involving a tiny umbrella device to prevent clots reaching her lungs. He described it as the worst case doctors had seen.
Sir Richard, who was in the same hospital recovering from a shoulder injury, announced her death on Instagram, calling her his “rock” and “guiding light”. He later wrote a longer tribute on virgin.com, describing the moments before her sudden death.
