Richard Branson has unveiled a poignant tribute to his late wife, Joan, with her likeness painted on the side of Virgin Atlantic’s newest aircraft.
Lady Joan Sarah Drummond Branson, Sir Richard’s wife, died aged 80 on November 24, 2025, in hospital after suffering complications linked to a back injury sustained several weeks earlier.
Lady Branson has now been commemorated by her husband, who shared photographs on Instagram showing her portrait on the airline’s latest jet.
Sir Richard wrote: “So touching to see Virgin Atlantic’s new plane paying tribute to my wonderful wife, Joan.”
“Joan was part of the Virgin Atlantic story from the very beginning. From joining the inaugural flight in 1984 to coming up with the idea of donating loose change on board for charity, which resulted in almost every airline in the world following suit and raising billions over the years.”
“She was always there.”
The artwork features several deeply personal touches, including the Branson family tartan, a heart-shaped necklace and the rings Lady Branson wore every day.
The aircraft has also been named Viva Forever, after the Spice Girls’ No. 1 hit single, which was Lady Branson’s favourite song.
Sir Richard Branson’s tribute to Lady Joan Sarah Drummond Branson includes personal details such as the Branson family tartan, her heart-shaped necklace and the rings she wore every day.
Lady Branson died aged 80 on November 24, 2025, after complications arising from a back injury she had suffered weeks earlier.
The new jet is named Viva Forever after the Spice Girls’ No. 1 hit, which was also Lady Branson’s favourite song.
Virgin Atlantic, the UK’s third most popular airline, has a long-standing tradition of naming aircraft after notable women and decorating their noses with its flying icon.
In 2021, the airline named an Airbus A350 Fearless Lady in honour of Eve Branson, Sir Richard’s mother.
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Then, in 2024, Virgin Atlantic introduced Ruby Rebel, an Airbus A330neo launched to mark the airline’s 40th anniversary. Its design featured a figure inspired by Holly Branson wearing a bracelet engraved with the initials J, S and H for Joan, Sam and Holly.
When Lady Branson died, her husband was in the same hospital after injuring his shoulder in a cycling accident in India.
Announcing her death last year, the Virgin tycoon 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 said Lady Branson had died “quickly and painlessly”, adding that he had shared lunch with her on the day she died.
The couple’s daughter Holly also paid tribute to her mother, recalling the “initial shock and pain” of her death and describing Joan as “one in a billion, brilliant and kind”.
Sir Richard and Glasgow-born Lady Branson first met in 1976 at The Manor, a former recording studio in Oxfordshire, England.
Posting photos with Joan throughout her childhood, Holly said she and her family ‘feel very loved’ following an outpouring of sympathies in the wake of her mother’s passing.
The family held a beachfront gathering for friends and family to remember her at his 74-acre private estate on Necker Island, in the British Virgin Islands.
Sir Richard and Glasgow-born Lady Branson first met in 1976 at The Manor, a former recording studio in Oxfordshire, England.
At the time, the former model was working in an antiques shop in Notting Hill, not far from the Virgin office.
The couple had three children, Holly, Sam and Clare Sarah. Clare Sarah died shortly after birth in 1979.
