Additional Coverage:
- Richard Branson’s wife’s cause of death confirmed as doctors express regret at inquest (themirror.com)
An inquest into the death of Lady Joan Sarah Drummond Branson, wife of Sir Richard Branson, has revealed that her passing was linked to an untreated blood clot. Lady Branson, aged 80, died in November 2025 at The Lister Hospital in London following complications related to a back injury sustained after a fall at the family’s Necker Island residence.
The court heard that Joan Branson suffered a significant blood clot in her lung, leading to her hospital admission on November 17 after a general practitioner referred her due to persistent pain following the fall. It was reported that she had tripped over slippers beside her bed and was left unable to get up, experiencing considerable pain.
Lady Branson had a history of blood clots dating back to 2010 and had previously been treated with blood-thinning injections. However, during her hospital stay, doctors failed to administer Enoxaparin, an anticoagulant medication, despite her known medical history.
Dr. Nevil Pavithran, who took charge of Lady Branson’s care, testified that she should have received anticoagulants within 12 hours of admission.
Her daughter, Dr. Holly Branson, expressed serious concerns about the treatment her mother received.
While careful not to assign blame to any individual doctor, she questioned why the medication was not offered, stating that her mother had never previously refused such treatment and was accustomed to anticoagulant injections during flights and hospital stays.
Dr. Holly Branson also highlighted that anti-clot stockings were not provided until up to 48 hours after admission, and her mother had to request them herself.
The consultant overseeing Lady Branson’s care, Dr. Inaki Bovill, admitted regret for not prescribing the clot-preventing drugs and acknowledged that a proper Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) assessment should have been conducted upon admission.
Another doctor involved, Dr. Kunduzi, explained that he had delayed the anticoagulant treatment pending a CT scan to rule out internal bleeding, which could have been worsened by the medication.
He noted that he had documented the decision not to administer the drugs, expecting that other physicians would reassess the situation. Dr.
Kunduzi expressed remorse for the oversight, stating it was a decision that would stay with him forever, and extended his deepest condolences to Lady Branson’s family.
The inquest into Lady Joan Branson’s death is ongoing.