Richard Branson's mother Eve dies, aged 96, after Covid battle as billionaire pays tribute to 'fearless' ex-ballet dancer, who was in the Wrens, gave him £100 to start Virgin - and was once helped from Necker Island fire by Kate Winslet

  • Eve Branson, mother of billionaire Sir Richard, has died after coronavirus battle three weeks before falling ill
  • Sir Richard, 70, posted a poignant tribute to his mother, who he has credited as the inspiration for his career
  • Mrs Branson was last seen in a Christmas Eve video on Instagram happily describing her love of whisky 
  • Holly Branson reveals grandchildren spoke to her on the phone to say their 'final goodbyes' on day she died Sir Richard Branson's mother Eve, who gave him the first £100 he turned into his £3billion fortune, has died aged 96 after contracting Covid-19, the British businessman revealed today.

    Mrs Branson, who had been battling vascular dementia, was last seen in a Christmas Eve video filmed at her daughter Vanessa's house in West Sussex where she spoke enthusiastically about her love of Bell's whisky.

    Sir Richard revealed his mother's death on Twitter today, and wrote in a blogpost:  'I'm sorry to share that, sadly like a lot of people's mums and dads right now in these days of Covid, my mum Eve has also passed away. Rather than mourn her loss, I wanted to celebrate her wonderful life & the joy she brought to so many.' Eve died in the UK with her granddaughter Holly saying she passed away on Friday. It is not clear if she was living with her family or had been taken to hospital, though Mr Branson, who is believed to be on his private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, suggested she had been due to get a vaccine the day after she tested positive three weeks ago.

    He added that his sister Vanessa and nephew Louis stayed by her side before her death and she entertained them  and her nurses with 'tales from her life and much laughter over glasses of whisky'.  

    Holly led tributes from younger members of the Branson family today - and revealed that many of Eve's grandchildren spoke to her on the phone and said their 'final goodbyes' in the hours before she died.

    Ms Branson wrote: 'Granny managed to battle the virus and test negative a few days ago. Unfortunately, like hundreds of thousands of people the world over, the strength it took to fight this unforgiving virus weakened Granny and she died peacefully in her bed on Friday. ⁣ ⁣My Auntie Vanessa and cousin Louis were with her and held a phone to Granny’s ear so we were all able to say our final goodbyes. Granny’s last hours were filled with the voices of those who loved her dearly. For that we will be forever grateful.'.

    Sir Richard's nephew Noah Devereux said on Instagram she was the 'queen of the one liners', adding: 'I’ll never forget what it felt like as a child to be enveloped in her unwavering faith in us. No matter the challenges we set, her beautiful blue eyes shone with the belief that we could achieve anything we put our minds too. For her 10 great-grandchildren, and those yet to come, I know Granny will become a family legend'.

    Sir Richard Branson has revealed that his mother Eva, 96, has died of coronavirus in a heartfelt social media post

    Sir Richard Branson has revealed that his mother Eva, 96, has died of coronavirus in a heartfelt social media post

    Eve Branson, mother of Richard Branson, as a young signal wren in 1944. HE paid tribute to her 'fearless, relentless' spirit

    Eve Branson, mother of Richard Branson, as a young signal wren in 1944. HE paid tribute to her 'fearless, relentless' spirit

    Richard Branson with his parents Eve and Ted in 1999. Her husband Ted died in March 2011 in his sleep

    Richard Branson with his parents Eve and Ted in 1999. Her husband Ted died in March 2011 in his sleep

    It is unclear where in the UK she was being treated, though Branson suggested she had been due to get a vaccine the day after she tested positive for coronavirus

    It is unclear where in the UK she was being treated, though Branson suggested she had been due to get a vaccine the day after she tested positive for coronavirus

    Mr Branson, 70, published a tribute on his company website praising his mother, known as 'Granny Eve' in the family, as a 'wonderful' woman who taught him the value of hard work. 

    He revealed that she gave him £100 to start his Virgin business and said he owed her his career.   

    The billionaire previously said that his mother had an underlying condition believed to be dementia, and tested positive for coronavirus around three weeks ago, though an update last week suggested she was on the road to recovery.  

    The billionaire shared anecdotes from his mother's life, revealing how she took glider lessons disguised as a boy in her youth before enlisting in the Wrens during World War II.   

    He described her as the 'proud grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of 10, all of whom love her dearly and miss her greatly'.

    Eve previously hit the headlines in 2014 when she dismissed reports she had been rescued from a fire on her son's private Necker island in the Caribbean by Titanic star Kate Winslet.    In August 2011 it was widely reported that Kate had rescued Eve as she tottered down stairs at Necker Island, picking her up in her arms and carrying her to safety, after a lightning storm caused a huge blaze.

    But, in an interview, Eve later dismissed the heroic act, saying that Kate only carried her down four steps and 'that was it. 

    Her death comes after her son shared news of her Covid battle last Wednesday.

    In an Instagram post he revealed how she had contracted the virus two weeks before, a day before she had been due to get the vaccine.

    Branson added she had then tested negative and had been on the 'road to recovery' before announcing her death this afternoon.

    Eve, a former ballet dancer, was described as 'fierce' by her son and interviews in her latter years suggested she wasn't slowing down in old age. 

    Her husband Ted died in his sleep in 2011 and in an interview four years later, she said still had male companions who were up to 40 years her junior. 

    Eve previously hit the headlines in 2014 when she dismissed reports she had been rescued from a fire on her son's private Caribbean island by Titanic star Kate Winslet

    Eve previously hit the headlines in 2014 when she dismissed reports she had been rescued from a fire on her son's private Caribbean island by Titanic star Kate Winslet

    The billionaire shared tales from his mother's life, revealing how she took glider lessons disguised as a boy in her youth before enlisting in the Wrens during World War II

    The billionaire shared tales from his mother's life, revealing how she took glider lessons disguised as a boy in her youth before enlisting in the Wrens during World War II

    Eve Branson (nee Flindt), mother of Sir Richard Branson on her wedding day at St Peter's Church

    Eve Branson (nee Flindt), mother of Sir Richard Branson on her wedding day at St Peter's Church

    Eve Branson, mother of Sir Richard Branson, as an air hostess for British South American Airways

    Eve Branson, mother of Sir Richard Branson, as an air hostess for British South American Airways

    Eve was avid croquet player and also played tennis and golf in her latter years.  

    She also shared her tips for old age and said: 'Keep busy and have enough interests to keep you busy.'

    Eve also advised 'keeping the lipstick going' and credited a vodka cocktail and a nightly tot or two, 'occasionally three', of whisky, with helping her to maintain her youthful vigour.  

    She toured Germany as a ballet dancer after the war, acted on the West End stage and worked as an air hostess on the treacherous British South American Airways routes. 

    Speaking today, her son added: 'When I was growing up she was always working a project; she was inventive, fearless, relentless - an entrepreneur before the word existed.

    described her as the 'proud grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of 10, all of whom love her dearly and miss her greatly

    described her as the 'proud grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of 10, all of whom love her dearly and miss her greatly

    The billionaire added that his sister Vanessa and nephew Louis stayed by her side before her death and she entertained them and her nurses with 'tales from her life and much laughter over glasses of whisky'

    The billionaire added that his sister Vanessa and nephew Louis stayed by her side before her death and she entertained them and her nurses with 'tales from her life and much laughter over glasses of whisky'

    Former stewardess Richard Branson's mother Eve Branson donned her uniform again on board a Virgin flight from Las Vegas 50 years on

    Former stewardess Richard Branson's mother Eve Branson donned her uniform again on board a Virgin flight from Las Vegas 50 years on

    'My sisters Lindy and Vanessa and I were so lucky to grow up with mum and dad as our parents, instilling values that have lasted a lifetime. 

    'They taught us the importance of hard work, of not taking yourself too seriously, of treating people how you wish to be treated, of entrepreneurship, and so much more. 

    'They showed us how family is the most important thing in the world, and surrounded us with love and encouragement.'

    Branson also spoke about how he owed his billionaire career to his mother. 

    He said: 'It is no exaggeration to say I owe my career to mum. One day in the late Sixties mum saw a necklace lying on the road near Shamley Green and took it to the police station. 

    'After three months nobody had claimed it so the police told her she could keep it. She came up to London, sold the necklace and gave me the money. Without that £100, I could never have started Virgin. 

    'We were so sad to lose dad back in 2011, but mum did exactly as he would have wished by continuing to grab life with both hands.'  

    Eve Branson, the 'fearless' ex-ballet dancer who was in the Wrens, gave her son Richard £100 to start his business empire and continued to have male companions 40 years younger than her into her nineties

    Eve Branson, mother of Sir Richard Branson, pictured on the front cover of Everbody's magazine, as an air hostess for British South American Airways in the 1940s

    Eve Branson, mother of Sir Richard Branson, pictured on the front cover of Everbody's magazine, as an air hostess for British South American Airways in the 1940s

    Eve Branson, the mother of billionaire Sir Richard, has died at the age of 96 after a battle with coronavirus. 

    The Branson matriarch's death has been with an outpouring of grief and tributes from her family, with her son Richard describing her as the 'proud grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of 10, all of whom love her dearly and miss her greatly'.

    Eve was born on July 12, 1924, in Edmonton, Middlesex, the daughter of Dorothy Constance (Jenkins) and Major Rupert Ernest Huntley Flindt.

    She lived a colourful life and her son Richard revealed how she used to pretend to the a boy so she could learn to fly gliders. In the Second World War, Eve served in the Women's Royal Naval Service. Afterwards, she toured Germany as a ballet dancer with Entertainments National Service Association.

    She later became an airline hostess for British South American Airways. She married Edwards Branston and, after marrying, she ran a real estate business. She was also a military police officer and probation officer and even penned novels and children's books. 

    Her son Richard, born in 1950, described her as an entrepreneur and said: 'When I was growing up she was always working a project; she was inventive, fearless, relentless - an entrepreneur before the word existed.' 

    One of her most successful businesses saw her build and sell wooden tissue boxes and wastepaper bins.  

    Writing in his autobiography, Richard said: 'She had a seemingly limitless imagination for coming up with new business ideas. I don’t recall her ever considering herself an entrepreneur – that was probably only because I don’t think the word existed back then and if it did nobody knew what it meant – but she was certainly the definition of ‘enterprising’. 

    'Eve is a human whirlwind. No matter what the latest big thing was, she’d always manage the whole process by herself from developing the ideas to crafting the products, to making deals with distributors, delivering and selling the goods. Nobody else could get in her way, it was her show and hers alone! I remember being very impressed by one of her more successful ventures, which was building and selling wooden tissue boxes and wastepaper bins.' 

    Richard also spoke about how he owed his billionaire career to his mother. 

    He said: 'It is no exaggeration to say I owe my career to mum. One day in the late Sixties mum saw a necklace lying on the road near Shamley Green and took it to the police station. 

    Eve Branson (nee Flindt), mother of Sir Richard Branson on her wedding day to Edward Branson at St Peter's Church in Frimley Green, Surrey

    Eve Branson (nee Flindt), mother of Sir Richard Branson on her wedding day to Edward Branson at St Peter's Church in Frimley Green, Surrey

    Sir Richard Branson (2nd right) with his children Sam (left) and Holly (right), sister Vanessa Branson (2nd left), nephew Noah Devereux (centre back ) and his mother Eve Branson (centre front)

    Sir Richard Branson (2nd right) with his children Sam (left) and Holly (right), sister Vanessa Branson (2nd left), nephew Noah Devereux (centre back ) and his mother Eve Branson (centre front)

    'After three months nobody had claimed it so the police told her she could keep it. She came up to London, sold the necklace and gave me the money. Without that £100, I could never have started Virgin. 

    Throughout her life, Eve was a child welfare advocate. She established the Eve Branson Foundation and served as its director. 

    This charitable organisation provides communities in Morocco with income-generating projects and training.

    She was also a member of the board of directors of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, the goal of which is to help find missing children, and to stop the exploitation of children.

    She was a founding member of ICMEC's board of directors in 1999, and her son Richard was ICMEC's founding sponsor.  

    In 2013, at the age of eighty-nine, Eve launched her autobiography titled Mum's the Word: The High-Flying Adventures of Eve Branson. 

    Her husband Ted died in his sleep in 2011 and in an interview four years later, she said still had male companions who were up to 40 years her junior. 

    Eve was avid croquet player and also played tennis and golf in her latter years.  

    She also shared her tips for old age and said: 'Keep busy and have enough interests to keep you busy.'

    Eve also advised 'keeping the lipstick going' and credited a vodka cocktail and a nightly tot or two, 'occasionally three', of whisky, with helping her to maintain her youthful vigour.  

    Eve previously hit the headlines in 2014 when she dismissed reports she had been rescued from a fire on her son's private Necker island in the Caribbean by Titanic star Kate Winslet.    

    In August 2011 it was widely reported that Kate had rescued Eve as she tottered down stairs at Necker Island, picking her up in her arms and carrying her to safety, after a lightning storm caused a huge blaze.But, in an interview, Eve later dismissed the heroic act, saying that Kate only carried her down four steps and 'that was it.


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