Richard Branson admitted that his late wife Joan Templeman managed his family’s money before her death. The devastated Virgin boss announced on Tuesday that his wife of 36 years had passed away aged 80. Despite overseeing a global business empire worth hundreds of millions of pounds for decades, the 75-year-old billionaire admitted that it was Joan who truly understood the value of money, while he often spent freely on “silly things” and the latest gadgets. When asked how they handled their personal finances, Richard told My Virgin Money Magazine: “I’d say on the day-to-day running of our finances, my wife Joan is streets ahead of me.
“She knows the value of things and looks after our money well. When our personal credit card statements arrive, she looks through them to see that everything is fine – and that I’m not spending too much on silly things or the latest new gadgets I’ve seen in an airport departure lounge or in an exotic shopping mall. Despite this, Richard maintained that he is “pretty astute” when it comes to the bigger financial decisions and always makes sure that whatever he spends offers good value.
Richard described Joan as the “most wonderful mum and grandmum” in an emotional Instagram post announcing her passing.
He wrote: “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 x.”
Marking 44 years since they first locked eyes in Virgin’s live-in recording studio, The Manor, in 1976, Sir Richard wrote a love letter to Joan, recalling that it had been “love at first sight” for him.
He penned: “I experienced love at first sight upon meeting a blonde-haired, down-to-earth, Scottish beauty named Joan, who just happened to be making a cup of tea.
“I generally make up my mind about someone within 30 seconds of meeting them, and Joan won my heart instantly. She was unlike any other woman I had ever met.
“She was beautiful. She was bright. She was witty. She was down to earth. She was fun. And she had eyes made of magic.”
Despite his best efforts to win her over, Joan wasn’t initially interested in starting a relationship with the young entrepreneur.
“The feeling wasn’t immediately reciprocated,” Sir Richard admitted in 2016. “I had to work hard for her attention, and ultimately affection.”
After discovering that Joan worked at a nearby bric-a-brac shop in Westbourne Grove, he showed relentless determination in trying to win her heart. The two eventually began dating and later married on Necker Island, Sir Richard’s private island in the Caribbean.
The couple, who were together almost 50 years, shared three children, Clare Sarah, who died shortly after birth, Holly, 44, and son Sam, 40.