Lady Joan Branson’s death might have been avoided had she been prescribed a widely used blood-thinning drug to prevent dangerous clots, an inquest has concluded.
The 80-year-old wife of Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson died on 24 November 2025 after going into cardiac arrest, which was triggered by a sudden obstruction in her lung.
That blockage is thought to have been caused by deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT — a potentially fatal blood clot that typically forms in a vein in the leg.
Lady Branson had been taken to hospital after fracturing her pelvis and hip in a fall while staying at a private retreat in the Caribbean.
However, despite her long history of blood clots and being assessed as “at very high risk of developing DVT”, she was not given anticoagulant medication during her hospital stay.
She was also not provided with compression stockings during the first 48 hours after admission — failures that coroners said may have contributed to her death.
Blood clots are the body’s natural response to injury, helping to stop excessive bleeding, but they can become life-threatening when they block normal circulation.
Deep-vein thrombosis affects around 60,000 people in the UK each year and can prove deadly if a clot breaks free and travels to the lungs, cutting off blood and oxygen supply in what is known as a pulmonary embolism.
Lady Branson’s doctor has admitted he should have given anti-coagulants before she suffered the fatal clot
Sir Richard and Lady Branson first met in 1976 at The Manor, a former recording studio in Oxfordshire
As many as one in four deaths are related to blood clots, making DVT a leading cause of preventable hospital deaths and disability.
However, it’s estimated that up to a third of cases go undiagnosed because the symptoms are often mistaken for other problems, or non-existent.
Blood clots often form when blood flow slows, often during periods of prolonged immobility.
Risk increases sharply with age and with certain medical conditions including cancer.
Being obese, smoking, taking hormone replacement therapy or the combined contraceptive pill are all known to increase the risk of DVT.
High blood sugar levels and cholesterol, that come with uncontrolled diabetes, can also damage the lining of blood vessels and encourage clotting.
Women are also significantly more likely to develop the life-threatening condition during pregnancy, and for six weeks after giving birth.
The couple on their wedding day on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands with their children Holly and Sam
The couple’s daughter Holly recently shared an emotional tribute to her late mother as she reflected on the ‘initial shock and pain’ of her death
Long distance travel can also increase the risk, particularly when journeys exceed four to six hours, whether by air, car, train or ferry.
But sometimes DVT can happen for no obvious reasons.
The NHS lists four red-flag warning signs, including throbbing pain in one leg – usually in the calf or thigh, swelling, red or darkened skin around the painful area and swollen veins.
These symptoms can also occur in the arm, if this is where the blood clot appears.
Rarely, people may experience just lower abdominal pain.
Anyone who thinks they have DVT is advised to book an urgent GP appointment or seek help from NHS 111.
If symptoms occur alongside shortness of breath and chest pain this is a medical emergency, requiring immediate treatment at A&E.
While there is no one-stop way to prevent DVT, lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the risk.
The NHS recommends maintaining a healthy weight, keeping active and trying to stand up every hour, drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and not smoking.
Those who regularly travel for four hours or more should wear loose clothing, compression socks and avoid sitting for long periods of time where possible, to help minimise the risk.
The NHS also states that healthcare teams should check if patients are at a high risk of DVT.
If doctors find this to be the case, patients may be given treatment to prevent it, such as blood-thinning medicines like rivaroxaban.
Blood-thinning medications typically need to be taken for at least three months, to reduce the risk of another blood clot occurring. These medicines are usually taken as tablets.
In an email sent to the court, the couple’s daughter, Dr Holly Branson highlighted her mother’s history of blood clots, dating back over a decade and said she would not have refused anticoagulants had they been offered.
When asked why the drugs weren’t prescribed, the lead doctor on her case, Dr Basir Kunduzi said he decided to delay prescribing anticoagulants until Lady Branson had undergone a CT, to ensure there was no internal bleeding the drugs could have worsened.
But the inquest heard the decision not to administer the anticoagulants to Lady Branson would haunt him for the rest of his life, as he expressed his condolences to the family.
On Instagram, Sir Richard described his wife as the ‘most wonderful mum and grandmum’, signing off: ‘She was my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world. Love you forever Joan x.’
