Sir Branson Revealed He Tried to Buy a Private Island to Impress Joan — Despite Not Having Cash For It

Sir Richard Branson once attempted to buy a private island to impress his future wife, Joan, despite having no money for it. This candid revelation was shared in a blog post in 2020 — five years before her death this week at age 80.

The Virgin Group founder detailed the daring romantic gesture in a reflection published on Virgin.com in 2020, marking 44 years since the couple first met at The Manor, Virgin Records' live-in recording studio, in 1976.

Branson announced Joan's passing on Tuesday in an emotional Instagram post, describing her as 'my best friend, my rock, my guiding light, my world.'

The Failed Bid and Its Backstory

According to Branson's 2020 blog, two years after meeting Joan in 1976, he learned that an island in the British Virgin Islands was for sale. Despite Virgin Records still being in its infancy, he contacted the sellers to view the property.

'We were still in the early days of Virgin Records and I definitely did not have the cash to buy it — but try telling that to a fool in love,' Branson wrote.

In 1978, after flying to see the island with Joan, Branson made his highest offer of approximately £75,800 ($100,000). The asking price was £4.5 million ($6 million), and the offer was swiftly rejected.

'The helicopter left without us and we were left to hitch-hike back to the airport — ego bruised and sunburnt,' he recalled.

From Rejection to Success

Undeterred, the couple remained together. By 1979, the island was still unsold, and the owner was eager to complete the sale.

With Virgin Records now in a stronger financial position, Branson agreed to purchase the 30-hectare (74-acre) island for £136,000 ($180,000). He was just 28 at the time.

'It was one of the best decisions I've ever made,' Branson wrote in 2020. 'But the very best was when Joan and I got married on Necker 11 years later, and it's still the place we call home.'

The couple married on Necker Island in 1989, when their children Holly and Sam were eight and four years old. They also had a daughter, Clare Sarah, who tragically died four days after being born prematurely in 1979.

The Financial Risk Behind the Romantic Dream

Branson's story exemplifies his characteristic approach to business: making bold moves before having all the resources secured. His willingness to pursue an unaffordable property reflects the entrepreneurial risk-taking that defined his early career.

Virgin Records' transformation from a struggling startup to a profitable enterprise within that crucial year made the purchase possible. The label's success, bolstered by compilation series like "Now That's What I Call Music!" — a title Branson says was inspired by a tin advertising sign he bought while courting Joan at the Dodo antiques shop in Notting Hill — provided the financial foundation.

According to his blog, Joan worked at Dodo, and he would 'hover uncertainly outside the shop' before building up the courage to enter. 'Over the next few weeks, my visits to Joan amassed me an impressive collection of old hand-painted tin signs,' he wrote.

Necker Island: An Enduring Investment

Today, Necker Island is among Branson's most recognisable assets. It operates as an exclusive private resort, with full-island buyouts costing around £92,500 ($122,000) per night as of 2025.

Valuations estimate the island's worth at between £75.8 million and £113.7 million ($100 million to $150 million), representing a significant return on Branson's initial £136,000 ($180,000) investment over four decades.

Branson reflected in his 2020 account: 'If I cast my mind back to that day at The Manor 44 years ago, I never could have imagined what the next four decades would bring, with a lifetime of love, wonderful children Holly and Sam, and our delightful grandchildren. I wouldn't have been able to do all of it without Joan, and I wouldn't have it any other way.'

Joan Branson died on 25 November 2025, after nearly 50 years together and 36 years of marriage.