Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an Englishbusiness magnate who co-founded theVirgin Group in 1970, and, as of 2016, controlled five companies.[1]
In March 2000, Branson wasknighted for "services to entrepreneurship".[2] Due to his work in retail, music and transport, his taste for adventure and for his humanitarian work, he has become a prominent global figure.[3][4] In 2007 he was named one of the100 Most Influential People in the World byTime magazine. In June 2023,Forbes magazine listed Branson's estimated net worth at US$3 billion.[5]
Branson's great-great-great-grandfather John Edward Branson left England for India in 1793; John Edward's father, Harry Wilkins Branson, later joined his son inMadras. Starting from 1793, four generations of Branson's family lived in India, mostly atCuddalore, in modern-dayTamil Nadu. On the television seriesFinding Your Roots Branson was shown to have 3.9% South Asian (Indian) DNA, likely through intermarriage.[9] He later said that one of his great-great-great-grandmothers was an Indian named Ariya.[12]
Branson hasdyslexia, and had poor academic performance; on his last day at school, his headmaster,Robert Drayson, told him he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire.[14][13] Branson has also talked openly about havingADHD.[15] Branson's parents were supportive of his endeavours from an early age.[16] His mother was an entrepreneur; one of her most successful ventures was building and selling wooden tissue boxes and wastepaper bins.[17] In London, he started offsquatting from 1967 to 1968.[18]
Branson is anatheist.[19][20] He said in an interview in 2011 withPiers Morgan thatevolution is a demonstrable fact and he believes in the importance of humanitarian efforts, not in the existence of God: "I would love to believe", he said. "It's very comforting to believe".[21]
Early business career
After failed attempts to grow and sell bothChristmas trees andbudgerigars, Branson launched a magazine namedStudent in 1966 withNik Powell. The first issue ofStudent appeared in January 1968, and a year later, Branson's net worth was estimated at £50,000 (equivalent to £1,040,000 in 2023). The office for the venture was situated in the crypt of St John's Church, offBayswater Road, in London.[22] Though not initially as successful as he hoped, the magazine later became a vital component of the mail-order record business Branson started from the same church he used forStudent. Branson used the magazine to advertise popular albums, driving his record sales.[23] He interviewed several prominent personalities of the late 1960s for the magazine includingMick Jagger andR. D. Laing.[24] Branson took over full direction ofStudent after successfully lying to Powell that the workers at the magazine opposed Powell's plans to turn the magazine into a co-operative.[25][26]
His business sold records for considerably less than the "High Street" outlets, especially the chainWHSmith. Branson once said, "There is no point in starting your own business unless you do it out of a sense of frustration."[27] At the time many products were sold under restrictive marketing agreements that limited discounting, despite efforts in the 1950s and 1960s to limitretail price maintenance.[note 1]
Branson eventually started a record shop inOxford Street in London. In 1971 he was questioned in connection with the selling of records declared export stock. The matter was never brought before a court because Branson agreed to repay any unpaidpurchase tax of 33% and a £70,000 fine. His parents re-mortgaged the family home to help to pay the settlement.[24]
In 1972, using money earned from his record store, Branson launched the record labelVirgin Records with Powell. The name "Virgin" was suggested by one of Branson's early employees because they were all new at business.[28] Branson bought acountry estate north ofOxford in which he installed a residential recording studio,The Manor Studio.[29] He leased studio time to fledgling artists, including the multi-instrumentalistMike Oldfield, whose debut album,Tubular Bells (1973), was the first release for Virgin Records and became a chart-topping best-seller.[30]
Virgin signed controversial bands such as theSex Pistols, which other companies were reluctant to sign. Virgin Records would go on to sign other artists includingthe Rolling Stones,Peter Gabriel,XTC,Japan,UB40,Steve Winwood andPaula Abdul, and to become the world's largest independent record label.[31] It also won praise for exposing the public to such lesser known avant-garde music as that of the German bandsFaust andCan. Virgin Records also introducedCulture Club to the music world.
Branson's net worth was estimated at £5 million by 1979, and a year later, Virgin Records went international.[citation needed]
1981–1987: Package holiday industries, compilation albums, and Virgin Atlantic
Branson's first successful entry into the airline industry was during a trip toPuerto Rico. His flight was cancelled, so he decided to charter his own plane the rest of the way and offered a ride to the rest of the stranded passengers for a small fee to cover the cost.[32]
In 1982, Virgin purchased the gay barHeaven in London. In 1991, in a consortium withDavid Frost, Branson made an unsuccessful bid for threeITV franchises under theCPV-TV name. The early 1980s also saw his only attempt as a producer—on the novelty record "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", by The Singing Sheep in association with Doug McLean and Grace McDonald, on which he was credited as "Jeff Mutton". The track consisted of samples of animal noises recorded at his aunt Claire Hoares' farm inNorfolk, set to a drum-machine-produced track and reached number 42 in the UK charts in 1982.[33]
In 1983,Now That's What I Call Music! emerged from Virgin Records offices as a compilation series. Collaborating withEMI, Peter Jamieson orchestrated the partnership on Branson's boat, leading to the concise and influential title "Now That's What I Call Music!", inspired by aDanish Bacon poster[34] gifted to Simon Draper. Branson's introduction to the antique shop owned by Joan Templeman,[35] played a pivotal role in his growing fascination with old signs and advertisements, ultimately shaping the collection.[36]
In 1992, to keep his airline company afloat, Branson sold the Virgin label to EMI for £500 million.[37] Branson said that he wept when the sale was completed because the record business had been the very start of the Virgin empire. He createdV2 Records in 1996 to re-enter the music business, owning 5% himself.[38] Virgin also acquired the Europeanshort-haul airline Euro Belgian Airlines and renamed itVirgin Express. In 1997 Branson took what many saw as being one of his riskier business exploits by entering into the railway business during theprivatisation of British Rail.Virgin Rail Group won theInterCity CrossCountry andInterCity West Coast franchises, beginning operations in January and March 1997 respectively.[39][40] Both franchises were scheduled to run for 15 years.[41][42]
A series of disputes in the early 1990s caused tension between Virgin Atlantic andBritish Airways, which viewed Virgin as an emerging competitor. Virgin subsequently accused British Airways of poaching its passengers, hacking its computers and leaking stories to the press that portrayed Virgin negatively. After the so-called campaign of"dirty tricks", British Airways settled the case, giving £500,000 to Branson, a further £110,000 to his airline, and had to pay legal fees of up to £3 million. Branson distributed his compensation (the so-called "BA bonus") among his staff.[43] In 1993, Branson was awarded an honorary degree ofDoctor of Technology fromLoughborough University.[44]
2001–2007: Entry into space travel and Virgin Media
Branson in 2001
On 25 September 2004 Branson announced the signing of a deal under which a newspace-tourism company,Virgin Galactic, will license the technology behindSpaceShipOne—funded by theMicrosoft co-founderPaul Allen and designed by the aeronautical engineerBurt Rutan—to take paying passengers intosuborbitalouter space. Virgin Galactic plans to make flights available to the public with tickets priced at US$200,000 using theScaled Composites White Knight Two.[49] The spacecraft,SpaceShipTwo, is manufactured byThe Spaceship Company, which was founded by Branson and Rutan and is now solely owned by Virgin Galactic. In 2013, Branson said that he planned to take his two children, 31-year-old Holly and 28-year-old Sam, on a trip to outer space when they ride the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane on its first public flight, then planned for 2014.[50] As part of his promotion of the firm, Branson has added a variation of the Virgin Galactic livery to his personal business jet, theDassault Falcon 900EX "Galactic Girl" (G-GALX).[51][52]
He was ninth inThe Sunday Times Rich List 2006 of the wealthiest people or families in the UK, worth slightly more than £3 billion. Branson wrote in his autobiography of the decision to start an airline.
My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them ... from the perspective of wanting to live life to the full, I felt that I had to attempt it.
Branson's next venture with the Virgin group wasVirgin Fuels, which was set up to respond toglobal warming and exploit the recent spike in fuel costs by offering a revolutionary, cheaper fuel for automobiles and, in the near future, aircraft. Branson has stated that he was formerly aglobal warming sceptic and was influenced in his decision by a breakfast meeting withAl Gore, a formervice president of the United States.[57]
On 21 September 2006 Branson pledged to invest the profits of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains in research for environmentally-friendly fuels. The investment is estimated to be worth US$3 billion.[58][59]
On 4 July 2006 Branson sold hisVirgin Mobile company to the British cable, television, broadband and telephone company NTL:Telewest for £900 million. A new company was launched with much fanfare and publicity on 8 February 2007, under the nameVirgin Media. The decision to merge his Virgin Media Company with NTL was made in order to integrate compatible areas of the two businesses. Whilst Branson had owned three-quarters of Virgin Mobile, he would now get paid £8.5 million per annum for the use of the Virgin brand name. He does not own any part of Virgin Media.[60]
In 2006, Branson formedVirgin Comics and Virgin Animation, an entertainment company focused on creating new stories and characters for a global audience. The company was founded with the authorDeepak Chopra, the filmmakerShekhar Kapur and the entrepreneursSharad Devarajan andGotham Chopra.[61] Branson also launched theVirgin Health Bank on 1 February 2007, offering expecting parents the opportunity to store their babies'umbilical cord bloodstem cells in private and public stem-cell banks.
In June 2006, a tip-off from Virgin Atlantic led both British and American competition authorities to investigate price-fixing attempts between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. In August 2007 British Airways was fined £271 million over the allegations. Virgin Atlantic was given immunity for tipping off the authorities and received no fine—a controversial decision the Office of Fair Trading defended as being in the public interest.[62]
On 9 February 2007 Branson announced the setting up of a new global science and technology prize—TheVirgin Earth Challenge. The Virgin Earth Challenge was to award US$25 million to the individual or group who are able to demonstrate a commercially viable design that will result in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmosphericgreenhouse gases each year for at least ten years without countervailing harmful effects.[citation needed]
In July 2007, Branson purchased his Australian home,Makepeace Island, inNoosa.[63] In August 2007 he announced that he had bought a 20 per cent stake in the Malaysian airlineAirAsia X.[64]
On 13 October 2007, Branson's Virgin Group sought to addNorthern Rock to its empire after submitting an offer that would result in Branson personally owning 30 per cent of the company and changing its name from Northern Rock toVirgin Money.[65] TheDaily Mail ran a campaign against his bid;Vince Cable, financial spokesperson for theLiberal Democrats, suggested in theHouse of Commons that Branson's criminal conviction for tax evasion might be felt by some as a good enough reason not to trust him with public money.[66]
In September 2023, Branson declared his decision against injecting additional funds into Virgin Galactic, his space travel company experiencing financial losses. He highlighted that his business empire no longer possesses extensive financial resources, indicating constraints on further investment.[67]
2008–2019: Hotels, healthcare and charitable influence
On 9 January 2008,Virgin Healthcare announced that it would open a chain of health care clinics that would offer conventional medical care alongside homeopathic and complementary therapies, a development that was welcomed byBen Bradshaw, the health minister.[68]
Plans where GPs could be paid for referringNational Health Service (NHS) patients to private Virgin services were abandoned in June 2008. The BMA warned the plan would "damage clinical objectivity", there would be a financial incentive for GPs to push patients toward the Virgin services at the centre.[69] Plans to take over an NHS practice inSwindon were abandoned in late September 2008.[70]
In February 2009, Branson's Virgin organisation was reported as bidding to buy the formerHonda Formula One team. Branson later expressed interest inFormula One, but claimed that, before the Virgin brand became involved with Honda or any other team, Formula One would have to develop a more economically efficient and environmentally responsible image. At the start of the2009 Formula One season on 28 March, it was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the newBrawn GP team,[71] with discussions also under way about introducing a less "dirty" fuel in the medium term.[72] After the end of the season and the subsequent purchase of Brawn GP byMercedes-Benz, Branson invested in an 80 per cent buyout of Manor Grand Prix,[73][74] with the team being renamedVirgin Racing.
In 2010,Virgin Hotels was launched under the Virgin Group. In February 2018, Branson announced the first Virgin hotel in the UK would open in Edinburgh.[75]
Branson at theTime 100 Gala in May 2010. Known for his informal dress code,[76] this was a rare occasion he didn't wear an open shirt.
In 2010, Branson became patron of the UK'sGordon Bennett 2010 gas balloon race, which has 16 hydrogen balloons flying across Europe.[77]
In April 2012, Virgin Care commenced a five-year contract for provision of a range of health services which had previously been under the aegis of NHS Surrey, the local primary care trust.[78] By March 2015 Virgin Care was in charge of more than 230 services nationwide.[79]
In August 2012, when re-tendered theInterCity West Coast franchise was awarded toFirstGroup after a competitive tender process overseen by theDepartment for Transport. Branson had expressed his concerns about the tender process and questioned the validity of the business plan submitted by FirstGroup. When Virgin Rail lost the contract, Branson said he was convinced the civil servants had "got their maths wrong". In October, after an investigation into the bidding process, the deal was scrapped. The transport secretary,Patrick McLoughlin, announced there were "significant technical flaws" in the process and mistakes had been made by transport staff. Virgin Rail continued to operate the West Coast line until 7 December 2019, when it was replaced byAvanti West Coast.[81]
In March 2015,Virgin Trains East Coast commenced operating the InterCity East Coast franchise; the company was a joint venture between Stagecoach (90%) and Virgin Group (10%).[82][83] Due to the line performing below VTEC's expectations, it was announced in May 2018 that the contract would be terminated early by the government. VTEC ceased operating on 23 June 2018 and operations passed to a government-owned operator,London North Eastern Railway.[84]
In 2017, Virgin Group invested inHyperloop One, developing a strategic partnership between the two. Branson joined the board of directors,[85] and in December 2017 became its chairman.[86] The announced winner of the 2017 Virgin StartUp's Foodpreneur prize wasThe Snaffling Pig Co, which won a six-week rental space at Intu Lakeside, the retail centre with the highest foot traffic in the United Kingdom.[87]
In October 2017, Branson appeared on the Season 9 Premiere ofShark Tank as a guest investor,[88] where he invested in Locker Board,[89] a sustainable line ofskateboards invented by an 11-year-old named Carson Kropfl.[90] Branson told him that he reminded him of himself.[91] Branson became the wealthiest Shark to have appeared on the show.[92]
In May 2018, it was announced that he would become a partner in a private equity fund that will be co-managed by Metric Capital. The fund will seek out consumer goods firms to invest in.[94][95]
In October 2019, Branson inaugurated Virgin's new route betweenLondon Heathrow andTel AvivBen Gurion Airport, calling Israel a land of "great entrepreneurs doing incredible things."[98] Upon landing in Israel, he was photographed kissing the ground—a gesture traditionally performed by visitors arriving in theHoly Land.[99]
2020–present: COVID-19 difficulties
In March 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic which saw a dramatic decline in international air travel of around 60 per cent globally,[100] Branson and Virgin were criticised for asking staff to take eight weeks' unpaid leave.[101] In response to the global pandemic, Branson put his luxuryNecker Island up as collateral for a commercial loan to saveVirgin Atlantic from going bust.[102] Branson said: "Over the five decades I have been in business, this is the most challenging time we have ever faced... From a business perspective, the damage to many is unprecedented and the length of the disruption remains worryingly unknown."[103] On 5 May 2020 it was announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline would lay off 3000 staff, reduce the fleet size to 35 by the summer of 2022, retire theBoeing 747-400s[104] and would not resume operations fromGatwick Airport following the pandemic.[105]
On 11 July 2021, Branson took a flight withBeth Moses,Sirisha Bandla andColin Bennett to theedge of space (86 kilometres or 53 miles above Earth) on a Virgin Galactic spacecraft calledVSSUnity. This made him the first billionaire founder of a space company to travel to the edge of space.[106] The mission lasted approximately one hour, reaching a peak altitude of 53.5 miles (86.1 km). At 70 he became thethird-oldest person to fly to space.[107][108][109]
In October 2024,Virgin Money UK was sold to theNationwide Building Society. Branson made £724 million from the deal, £414 million from his 14.5 per cent shareholding and £310 million for Nationwide's use of the Virgin Money brand for up to six years.[110]
In 2025, it announced plans to compete withEurostar on the rail lines connecting London to Paris and Brussels by 2029.[111]
Failed business ventures
Branson has been involved in a number of failed business ventures, such asVirgin Cola,Virgin Cars, Virgin Publishing, Virgin Clothing and Virgin Brides.[112][113] However, Branson holds an optimistic view of failure. He has written: "I suppose the secret to bouncing back is not only to be unafraid of failures but to use them as motivational and learning tools... There's nothing wrong with making mistakes as long as you don't make the same ones over and over again."[114]
World record attempts
The capsule from the Virgin Atlantic Flyer balloon on display at theImperial War Museum,Duxford, EnglandA 1998 attempt at an around-the-world balloon flight by Branson,Steve Fossett, andPer Lindstrand ends in the Pacific Ocean on 25 December 1998.
Branson made several world record-breaking attempts after 1985, when in the spirit of theBlue Riband he attempted the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing by ship. His first attempt in the Virgin Atlantic Challenger led to the boat capsizing in British waters and a rescue byRoyal Navy helicopter, which received wide media coverage. Some newspapers called for Branson to reimburse the government for the rescue cost. In 1986, in his Virgin Atlantic Challenger II, he beat the record by two hours with a sailing expert named Daniel McCarthy.[115] A year later hishot air balloon Virgin Atlantic Flyer crossed the Atlantic.[116]
In January 1991, Branson crossed the Pacific from Japan toArctic Canada, 6,700 miles (10,800 km), in a balloon of 2,600,000 cubic feet (74,000 m3). This broke the record, with a speed of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h).[117]
In March 2004, Branson set a record by travelling fromDover toCalais in aGibbs Aquada in 1 hour, 40 minutes and 6 seconds, the fastest crossing of theEnglish Channel in anamphibious vehicle. The previous record of six hours was set by two Frenchmen.[118] The hosts of the motoring television programmeTop Gear,Jeremy Clarkson,James May andRichard Hammond, attempted to break this record in 2007 with an amphibious vehicle which they had constructed and, while successfully crossing the channel, did not break Branson's record. After being intercepted by the Coast Guard and asked what their intentions were, Clarkson remarked "...our intentions are to go across the Channel faster than 'Beardy' Branson!". The Coast Guard wished them 'Good luck and Bon Voyage'.[119]
In September 2008, Branson and his children made an unsuccessful attempt at an eastbound record crossing of the Atlantic Ocean under sail in the 99-foot (30 m)sloopVirgin Money.[120] The boat, also known asSpeedboat, is owned by aNew York Yacht Club member named Alex Jackson, who was a co-skipper on this passage, with Branson and Mike Sanderson. After two days, four hours, winds offorce 7 to 9 (strong gale), and seas of 40 feet (12 m), a 'monster wave' destroyed thespinnaker, washed a ten-man life raft overboard and severely ripped the mainsail. The sloop eventually continued toSt. George's, Bermuda.[121]
Branson also appears in a cameo early inXTC's "Generals and Majors" video. He was also the star of a reality television show onFox calledThe Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best (2004), in which sixteen contestants were tested for their entrepreneurship and sense of adventure and only lasted one season.[112]
His high public profile often leaves him open as a figure of satire—the2000 AD seriesZenith features a parody of Branson as asupervillain, as the comic's publisher and favoured distributor and the Virgin group were in competition at the time. He is also caricatured inThe Simpsons episode "Monty Can't Buy Me Love" as the tycoon Arthur Fortune, as the ballooningmegalomaniac Richard Chutney (a pun on Branson, as inBranston Pickle) inBelieve Nothing, and voiced himself in "The Princess Guide". The character Grandson Richard 39 inTerry Pratchett's Wings is modelled on Branson.
He has acameo appearance in several films:Around the World in 80 Days (2004), where he played a hot-air balloon operator, andSuperman Returns (2006), where he was credited as a 'Shuttle Engineer' and appeared alongside his son, Sam, with aVirgin Galactic-style commercial suborbital shuttle at the centre of his storyline. He also has a cameo in theJames Bond filmCasino Royale (2006). Here, he is seen as a passenger going throughMiami Airport security check-in and being frisked – several Virgin Atlantic planes appear soon after. British Airways edited out Branson's cameo in their in-flight screening of the movie.[123] He makes a number of brief and disjointed appearances in the documentaryDerek and Clive Get the Horn (1979), which follows the exploits ofPeter Cook andDudley Moore recording their final comedy album.
Branson is aStar Trek fan and named the spaceplaneVSSEnterprise in honour of theStar Trek spaceships, and in 2006 reportedly offered the actorWilliam Shatner a ride on the inaugural space launch of Virgin Galactic. In an interview inTime magazine, published on 10 August 2009, Shatner claimed Branson approached him asking how much he would pay for a journey on the spaceplane. In response, Shatner asked "how much would you payme to do it?"
Humanitarian initiatives
In the late 1990s, Branson and the musicianPeter Gabriel discussed withNelson Mandela their idea of a small group of leaders working to solve difficult global conflicts.[124] On 18 July 2007 inJohannesburg, South Africa, Mandela announced the formation of a new group,The Elders.Kofi Annan served as Chair of The Elders andGro Harlem Brundtland as deputy chair. The Elders is funded by a group of donors, including Branson and Gabriel. Branson's work in South Africa also includes theBranson School of Entrepreneurship, set up in 2005 as a partnership betweenVirgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of Virgin, and entrepreneurTaddy Blecher, the founder ofCIDA City Campus, a university inJohannesburg. The school aims to improve economic growth in South Africa by supporting start-ups and micro-enterprises with skills, mentors, services, networks and finance arrangements.[125] In 2010, he and the Nduna Foundation (founded byAmy Robbins), and Humanity United (an organization backed by Pam Omidyar, the wife of theeBay founderPierre Omidyar) founded Enterprise Zimbabwe.[126]
In 1999, Branson became a founding sponsor of theInternational Centre for Missing & Exploited Children ("ICMEC"), the goal of which is to help find missing children, and to stop the exploitation of children, as his mother Eve became a founding member of ICMEC's board of directors.[127][128]
He also launched Virgin Startup, an official delivery partner for the UK's Start Up Loans programme. Through this new organisation, he provided loans to entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 30 UK-wide. A pilot of the scheme, which ran over 11 months, injected £600,000 into 100 businesses.[129]
Branson is a signatory ofGlobal Zero campaign, a non-profit international initiative for the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide.[130] Since its launch in Paris in December 2008,[131] Global Zero has grown to 300 leaders, including current and former heads of state, national security officials and military commanders, and 400,000 citizens worldwide; developed a practical step-by-step plan to eliminate nuclear weapons; launched an international student campaign with 75 campus chapters in eight countries; and produced a documentary film,Countdown to Zero, in partnership withLawrence Bender andParticipant Media.[132]
In October 2018, Branson spoke out forJamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who was killed by Saudi authorities in the Saudi consulate inIstanbul, Turkey by suspending his advisory role fromSaudi Arabia's biggest Red Sea tourism project. He issued a statement saying, "The disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in theWest to do business with theSaudi Government."[133][134]
In 2006 Branson made a high-profile pledge to invest US$3 billion towards addressingglobal warming over the course of the following decade.[135][136] However, the author and activistNaomi Klein has criticised Branson for contributing "well under $300 million" as of 2014, far below the originally stated goal.[137] Additionally, Klein says Virgin airlines'greenhouse gas emissions increased considerably in the years following his pledge.[138]
B Team
Branson is the co-founder of theB Team, a global nonprofit organization that was founded in 2013 by a group of business leaders who are committed to using their influence to drive positive change and promote sustainable business practice. The B Team has several focus areas, including climate action, human rights and responsible tax practices. The organisation also advocates for gender equality and diversity and inclusion in the workplace, recognising that these issues are critical to achieving sustainable business practices.[139][140]
Politics
In the 1980s, Branson was briefly given the post of "litter Tsar" byMargaret Thatcher—charged with "keeping Britain tidy".[141][142] During the BBC coverage of the1997 general election, Branson was interviewed at theLabour Party celebrations at theRoyal Festival Hall.[143] In 2005 he declared that there were only negligible differences between the two main parties on economic matters.[144] He was suggested as a candidate forMayor of London before thefirst 2000 mayoral election, with polls indicating he would be a viable candidate, but he did not express interest.[145][146][147]
In March 2015, Branson said that almost all drug use should be decriminalised in the UK, followingthe example of Portugal.[148]
Branson is an opponent of the death penalty, stating: "the death penalty is always cruel, barbaric and inhumane. It has no place in the world."[154] In 2015 Branson released a letter in support of the American prisonerRichard Glossip on the day he was due to be executed,[155] and in 2021 was among the public figures who called on Singapore to halt the execution ofNagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, a Malaysian drug trafficker who was convicted and sentenced to Singapore'sdeath row for heroin trafficking.[156] After Nagaenthran was executed by hanging at Changi Prison, Branson expressed disappointment in Singapore for its "relentless machinery of death" since it left "no room for decency, dignity, compassion, or mercy".[157] In October 2022 the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs invited Branson to Singapore for a live televised debate on Singapore's approach towards drugs and the death penalty withK. Shanmugam, Singapore's Minister for Home Affairs and Law.[158] Branson rejected the offer.[159] In 2023, Branson once again spoke up against Singapore's stance of capital punishment when he protested against the upcoming execution ofTangaraju Suppiah, a 46-year-old Singaporean who was found guilty of trafficking 1 kg of cannabis and scheduled to hang on 26 April 2023, and Branson claimed that Tangaraju was "innocent" of the crime of which he was convicted.[160] Before theexecution of Saridewi Djamani on 28 July 2023, Branson also appealed for mercy on Saridewi's behalf; Saridewi was the first female offender to be executed in Singapore, 19 years after the hanging ofYen May Woen in 2004.[161][162]
Tax non-compliance
In 1971, Branson was convicted for tax evasion and was briefly jailed, for one night, having fraudulently obtained export documents for records to be sold on the domestic market to avoid payingPurchase Tax.[163][164] Customs officials caught onto the scheme and executed asting operation, marking records bought for the international market withinvisible ink and subsequently buying them on the domestic market. Branson was advised of the sting by an anonymous tip-off and attempted to dispose of the evidence, but this was unsuccessful.[163][164]
Branson's business empire is owned by a complicated series ofoffshore trusts and companies.The Sunday Times stated that his wealth is calculated at £3 billion; if he were to retire to his Caribbean island and liquidate all of this, he would pay relatively little in tax.[165] Branson has been criticised for his business strategy, and has been accused of being acarpetbagger.[166][167][168] Branson responded that he is living on Necker for health rather than tax reasons.[169]
Branson married Kristen Tomassi in 1972 and divorced her in 1979. They had no children together. In 1976, Branson met Joan Templeman and later began a relationship with her. Three children were born before their marriage onNecker Island in 1989;[35] a daughter, who lived for four days, another daughter, and a son.[172][173] On 25 November 2025, Branson announced Joan's death at the age of 80 onInstagram, stating he was "heartbroken".[174]
In 2017, Branson's Necker Island home was left uninhabitable afterHurricane Irma.[175] It was the second time it had been severely damaged, after the building caught fire when it was struck by lightning caused byHurricane Irene in 2011.[176] Branson's mother, Eve, died ofCOVID-19 complications in January 2021 at the age of 96. Branson posted an online celebration of her life.[177][non-primary source needed]
In 2007, Branson was ordained as a minister by theUniversal Life Church Monastery to conduct an on-flight wedding as part of a marketing effort for domestic flights in the US onVirgin America airline.[178] From 2013 to 2017, he served as President of the Old Stoic Society ofStowe School.[179][180]
Branson was friends withJeffrey Epstein, the American child sex offender, and in 2013 emailed Epstein that he "would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!".[181]
In November 2017, Antonia Jenae, a backing singer forJoss Stone, alleged that Branson sexually assaulted her at Necker Island by "putting his head between her cleavage and making boat engine noises", a practice that is known asmotorboating.[182] A spokesperson for Branson confirmed toThe Sun that members of the band had been invited for a party on the island in 2010, but that he and friends and family in attendance had "no recollection" of the events and that "there would never have been any intention to offend or make anyone feel uncomfortable. Richard apologises if anyone felt that way."[182][183]
Branson is an experiencedkitesurfer, and set two world records in the sport. The first was as the oldest person to kitesurf across theEnglish Channel.[184] Then in 2014 he broke theGuinness World Record for most people riding asurfboard by kiting with three women attached to him, including the professional kiteboarder Susi Mai and the entrepreneur Alison Di Spaltro.[185][186] Also an avid cyclist, in August 2016 he was injured while riding his bicycle in the British Virgin Islands, resulting in torn ligaments and acracked cheek.[187]
Branson has said in a number of interviews that he has been much influenced by non-fiction books. He most commonly mentionsNelson Mandela's autobiography,Long Walk to Freedom, stating that Mandela was "one of the most inspiring men I have ever met and had the honour to call my friend." Owing to his interest in humanitarian and ecological issues, Branson also listsAl Gore's best-selling book,An Inconvenient Truth, andThe Revenge of Gaia byJames Lovelock among his favourites. According to Branson's book,Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons in Life, he is also a fan ofJung Chang'sWild Swans andAntony Beevor'sStalingrad.[188][189] In fiction Branson has long admiredPeter Pan,[190] and in 2006 he foundedVirgin Comics LLC, stating that Virgin Comics will give "a whole generation of young, creative thinkers a voice".[191][192]
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^Shavinina, Larisa V. (December 2006). "Micro-social factors in the development of entrepreneurial giftedness: the case of Richard Branson".High Ability Studies.17 (2):225–235.doi:10.1080/13598130601121482.ISSN1359-8139.S2CID145055396.
^Branson, Richard (2014).The Virgin Way: Everything I know about leadership. New York: Portfolio/Penguin.
^Nathan, Robinson (2021)."How Billionaires See Themselves". Current Affairs.He had left a draft of a memo, which he was writing to the staff. It was a plan to get rid of me as publisher and editor, to take editorial and financial control of Student, and to turn it into a cooperative. I would become just part of the team, and everyone would share equally in the editorial direction of the magazine. I was shocked. I felt that Nik, my closest friend, was betraying me... I decided to bluff my way through the crisis... [If the staff were] undecided, then I could drive a wedge between Nik and the rest of them and cut Nik out.
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