Sir Richard Branson has been labelled many things – entrepreneur, adventurer, risk-taker – but there is one accolade he has long coveted: grandfather.
Happily, the Virgin tycoon’s eldest child, Holly, has granted Branson his wish – twice over – confirming yesterday that she is pregnant with twins. ‘Freddie and I are delighted,’ says Holly, who wed Virgin investment manager Freddie Andrewes in 2011.
Branson, 64, has harboured a desire to become a grandfather ever since he walked his daughter down the aisle, when he said: ‘I can’t wait – and with luck I’ll be one soon.’ Holly, 32, hasn’t yet revealed, however, whether her pregnancy will affect her plans to blast into outer space.
She is booked to fly alongside her father on Virgin Galactic’s first commercial space flight, scheduled for the end of the year. Will she board the flight and risk being the first woman to give birth in space? No doubt Branson, famous for his PR stunts, would relish the publicity.
Do you think they can pull this one off?