Inquest Finds Missed Blood-Clot Medication Likely Contributed to Death of Richard Branson’s Wife Joan Templeman
LONDON — Joan Templeman, the wife of Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson, died in November after a cardiac arrest at a private London hospital, and an inquest has found that the failure to give her blood-clot prevention medication likely contributed to her death.
Templeman, 80, died on Nov. 24, 2025, at the private Lister Hospital in Chelsea, West London, according to the BBC and The Independent. She had been admitted on Nov. 17, weeks after a fall on Necker Island, Branson’s private retreat in the British Virgin Islands.
At Westminster Coroner’s Court, the inquest heard that her death was caused by a pulmonary embolism—a blood clot that blocks blood flow to an artery in the lung—resulting from deep vein thrombosis. The court reportedly heard the details on Wednesday.
Hematologist Dr. George Adams told the inquest that Templeman was at “extremely high risk” of developing blood clots, noting that the “biggest risk factor by far was her immobility and her fracture.” During her admission, she received no prophylactic anticoagulation, a medication used to prevent harmful clots, according to reports.
Adams said the medication “reduces the number of clots and the size of those clots” and testified that “more likely than not, it would have reduced the chances of her having a fatal pulmonary embolism,” The Independent reported.
Senior coroner Professor Fiona Wilcox agreed. “I do find her death would have likely been prevented and the lack of anticoagulation did cause or contribute to her death probably,” she said, per the BBC.
The hospital’s admitting doctor, Dr. Basir Kunduzi, said a venous thromboembolism (VTE) assessment, also known as a bleeding risk assessment, was not completed on the day Templeman was admitted. Adams said “any patient who comes into hospital should have an immediate VTE assessment to determine their risk of bleeding.”
Dr. Holly Branson, Richard and Templeman’s daughter, reportedly told the inquest that her mother did not have thromboembolism deterrent stockings during the first 48 hours of care. The devices are designed to prevent deep vein thrombosis by promoting blood flow in the lower legs.
Kunduzi admitted Templeman “should have been on anticoagulants” and said her death has led him to “reflect on my role as the doctor” and the importance of “good communication between team members.” Dr. Inaki Bovil, Templeman’s consultant, said there has been a “lot of work at the Lister to make it more robust around VTE and risk prevention” and to “prevent this from happening again.”
In her conclusion, Wilcox said the case was “not a case of neglect” and that there “wasn’t an absence of treatment.” Inquests in England and Wales are fact-finding proceedings, not criminal trials, though their conclusions can prompt reviews of hospital safety practices. The findings nonetheless raise familiar patient-safety questions about how quickly hospitals assess clot risk in older patients who are immobilized after a fall—and whether standard prevention protocols are followed consistently in private care.
A spokesperson for Virgin Group, who also represents the Branson family, declined to comment to PEOPLE.
After Templeman’s death, Richard Branson honored her on Instagram, remembering her as the most wonderful mother and grandmother their children and grandchildren could have wished for. The couple married in 1989 and had three children: Holly, 44, Sam, 41, and Clare Sarah, who died at 4 days old after being born three months premature.
This article was based on reporting from the BBC, The Independent and PEOPLE.