Richard Branson pays tribute to Eve’s mother, 96, after her death from Covid and says he is a ‘lucky son’

Richard Branson has praised Eve’s loving mother, saying she was an ‘amazing woman’.

The billionaire, 70, revealed that his mother, who gave him £ 100 to start his business, died of coronavirus at the age of 96 on Monday in a heartfelt statement on Twitter.

Speaking of his loss on The One Show on Thursday, Richard fled as a ‘lucky son’ to be able to name Virgin Galactic motherhood after her.

Richard also credited Eve for helping him launch his Virgin company and thought of her amazing life.

He said: ‘Well, in the first place Covid has been with every family in Britain. So our family is no different from any other family.

‘She was an amazing woman like most mothers. I am a Virgin with her, we had no money. One day she found a neck on Guildford’s main street.

‘She took him to the police and three months later she took him back. She sold it for £ 100 and she gave me the money, I was 16 at the time.

‘She was an amazing woman. In World War II she dressed up as a man to become a seagull pilot. She got away with it for a few months despite being a very attractive kite pilot. ‘

When presenter Alex Jones asked what his mother thought about his business, Richard replied: ‘I think she was proud. The maternal Virgin Galactic takes humans to space, and me, in a few months.

‘She is called Eve. I am fortunate to be a son who can take his mother to an event like this and show it and show that motherhood is named after Eve after her.

‘She was proud but we were even more proud of her foundation in Morocco. She taught people to learn crafts … I’m lucky, she was amazing. ‘

The first WhiteKnightTwo, called VMS Eve, was launched in 2008 and has completed an extensive test flight program, according to the Virgin website.

News of Eve’s death was announced on Monday, with her last one seen in a Christmas Eve video filmed at her daughter Vanessa’s house in West Sussex where she spoke enthusiastically about her love of water- Bell life.

Richard posted his mother’s death on Twitter, and wrote in a post: ‘I’m sorry to share, sadly as so many human mothers and fathers are now in these days of Covid, my mother Eve has death.

‘Instead of mourning her loss, I wanted to celebrate her amazing life and the joy she gave him so much.’

Eve died in the UK with her granddaughter Holly claiming she died on Friday.

It is unclear whether she lived with her family or was taken to hospital, although Richard, believed to be on his private Necker island in the British Virgin Islands, suggested that she was entitled to a vaccine the day after she tested positive three weeks ago. She had been living in Fulham in later years.

He also said that his sister Vanessa and Louis’ nephew stayed by her side before she died and entertained them and the nurses with stories. from her life and lots of laughter over glasses of whiskey ‘.

Holly was directing homage from younger members of the Branson family – and revealed that many of Eve’s grandchildren spoke to her on the phone and said their ‘final blessings’ in the hours before she died.

Eve had three children, 11 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, who had been battling vascular dementia. Her husband Ted died in 2011.

Holly wrote: ‘Granny was able to fight the virus and tested negative a few days ago. Unfortunately, like hundreds of thousands of people around the world, the strength it took to fight this relentless virus weakened Granny and she died peacefully in her bed on Friday. ⁣ ⁣

‘My aunt Vanessa and my cousin Louis were with her and they kept calling Granny’s ear so we could all say our final greetings. Granny’s final hours were filled with the voices of her loved ones. For that we will be forever grateful. ‘.

She said: ‘I will never forget what it was like as a child to be unconsciously immersed in the faith.

‘Whatever challenges we set before us, her beautiful blue eyes shone with the belief that we could achieve anything we set our minds on. For her 10 grandchildren, and those yet to come, I know Granny is going to be a family legend ’.

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

In August 2011 it was widely reported that Kate had saved Eve while going down stairs at Necker Island, lifting her arms and transporting her to safety, after a lightning storm caused a major explosion.

But, in an interview, Eve later dismissed the heroic act, saying that Kate only took four steps down and ‘there you have it’.

Eve, who was a ballet dancer, was described as ‘mad’ by her son and interviews in her later years said she was not slowing down in old age.

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

Eve was good at playing croquet and played tennis and golf in her final years. She also gave her suggestions for old age and said: ‘Stay busy and you will have enough interests to keep you busy.’

Eve also advised ‘keep the lipstick going’ and credited a vodka cocktail and tot a few nights, ‘occasionally three’, of whiskey, by helping her to maintain her youthful energy. .

She toured Germany as a post-war ballet dancer, worked on the West End stage and worked as an air hostess on the dangerous routes of British South American Airways.