Little-known Isabella Branson may not be as famous as sister Cressida Bonas, but the daughter-in-law of Sir Richard recently celebrated her 40th birthday with a getaway in Bali with her glamorous friends and family.
Adventurous-loving Isabella, who is affectionately known as Bellie to her loved ones, leads a jetsetting life with hunky husband Sam, as well as her two children Eva-Deia, 5, and Sam, 3.
But who is the glamorous former actress, who was once tipped to have captured the heart of Prince William?
Close family unit
Isabella Branson, 40, who is sisters with Prince Harry’s ex girlfriend Cressida Bonas, celebrated her 40th birthday with friends and family in Bali earlier this month (pictured together)
The daughter of Mary-Gaye Curzon and property developer and former Chairman of the Watermark Group, John Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe, Isabella has a large extended family.
She has two full siblings, elder sister Georgiana, an artist, and younger brother Jacobi, as well as four half-siblings, two from her father’s second marriage, including actress Gabriella Calthorpe.
She also has another sibling from her mother’s first marriage, and one from her mother’s third marriage, the actress and former partner of Prince Harry, Cressida Bonas.
The mother-of-two shares a close relationship with her siblings, including Cressida and Jacobi, who shared gushing messages on Instagram to mark her birthday
Cressida was one of those to join Bellie on her recent trip to Bali to celebrate her fourtieth, paying tribute to her sibling in a gushing Instagram post.
Sharing a photograph of Bellie with her two children, as well as another of the two sisters dueting with one another, Cressida said her sister was ‘a real life angel with magic in her bones.’
Jacobi also shared a affectionate message as well, saying: ‘Happy 40th Bells. Thank you for always being the most incredible sister, daughter, mother and wife. Love you and so proud of you and who you are. I miss you so much.’
Hunky husband
Flora lives with her hunky husband Sam Branson, whose father is Sir Richard, with the two regularly enjoying adventurous expeditions across the globe with one another (pictured)
Society blonde Bellie married Sir Richard Branson’s son Sam in a glamorous ceremony on Sir Richard’s game reserve Ulusaba in South Africa in March 2013.
Bellie wore a beautiful full-length ivory gown, covered with lace, by Los Angeles-based designer Monique Lhuillier.
It would cost a normal client around £10,000, although Isabella may have negotiated a favourable rate, given the publicity surrounding her nuptials.
Not to be outdone, Sam wore an ivory three-piece suit by British designer Ozwald Boateng.
Sam often shares snaps of his adventures with his wife on Instagram, and shared a gushing message about his wife on her birthday as they celebrated in Bali
Sam often shares snaps of his adventures across the world on his Instagram page, including challenges like climbing Mount Everest and snowboarding in Colorado.
He shared a lengthy dedication to his wife ahead of her birthday, saying: ‘Darling ever since we met you have seen the light in me and have inspired me to realise my potential.
‘We have literally grown up together and stuck by each other through thick and thin. Your unconditional love to me has been my greatest blessing in this life.’
He added: ‘I fall in love with you more deeply and honestly every day and I am excited for the many many years to come of more growth, love, joy and freedom!’
Royal connections
The couple aren’t lacking in royal connections, attending Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank at Windsor Castle in October 2018
Bellie has a whole host of royal connections to The Firm, including sister Cressida’s former relationship with Prince Harry.
At one stage she was tipped to have caught the eye of Prince William before he went on to marry Kate Middleton.
However, Bellie’s concern that the association would impact her career led her to knock Prince William back.
After attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, she became a stage actress in 2005.
She appeared in a series of films, including Stage Beauty and How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, and the television series Harley Street and Trinity.
Her final film appearance appears to have been in 2013, when she appeared in British crime film Fedz, the same year she married her now-husband Sam.
Speaking of her romance with Prince William, a royal source told the Daily Mail in 2007: ‘He had fallen for her in a huge way and wanted to be with her.
‘He propositioned her several times that summer and although Isabella was single, she knocked William back and said it would be too damaging for her and her career.’
The couple also regularly fundraise for the charity Princess Beatrice founded alongside Sam in 2010
The source went on: ‘William was madly in love with her but when he knew there was no chance of them getting together he went back to Kate.’
‘Kate was very aware of his obsession with Isabella and she was incredibly threatened by her.
‘Isabella is drop-dead beautiful and would leave any girl in the shade. Kate accepted William back again but on the condition that he would not speak to Isabella again.’
And while Bellie may have refuted the advances of Prince William, there were clearly no hard feeling and she was in attendance at his wedding to Kate in 2011.
She has also remained close to other members of The Firm.
She attended Princess Eugenie’s wedding to Jack Brooksbank in November 2018, with Sam sharing an Instagram post of the couple inside Windsor Castle.
Posting online, Sam revealed the day had been ‘heavenly’ celebrating ‘a wonderful couple’.
Adventurous in-laws
Meanwhile Sam’s Instagram reveals his wife has a close bond with father-in-law Sir Richard (pictured together)
While Bellie hasn’t revealed the level of her bond with Sir Richard, Sam’s Instagram reveals snaps of the two snuggled up under blankets.
He posted: ‘It’s such a privilege and a joy to spend so much of my life with these two incredible people. They truly have hearts of pure gold and I love them with all that I am.’
The couple regularly join the rest of the family for Christmas on Necker Island for their annual tradition.
Charitable endeavours
The couple regularly take part in fundraising hikes for the Big Change Charity, which Sam co-founded with five school friends and Princess Beatrice in 2010
Alongside husband Sam, Bellie regularly takes part in charity hikes for the Big Change Charity.
The charity was co-founded by Princess Beatrice, 31, alongside Sam and five other friends in 2010 to identify and support charitable projects throughout the UK which will improve the lives of young people.
The organisation has now announced it is set to launch several new projects that will focus of the well-being of those in education.
The adventurous mother-of-two can often be seen taking part in the adventurous expeditions alongside her husband Sam (pictured, climbing Mont Gele in Chamonix in 2019)
Each year the charity invite fundraisers to take part in their Strive Challenge, an endurance hike.
With the charity, the couple have climbed Mont Gele in Chamonix as well as Les Contamines-Montjoie.
Jetsetting lifestyle
And it seems adventurous Isabella isn’t afraid to get up close and personal with wildlife during her adventures, including gorillas in Rwanda
Cressida shared several snaps on Instagram, revealing a luxurious villa where Bellie spent her birthday
Friends and family shared a series of glitzy shots of Bellie’s 40th birthday celebration in Bali.
Cressida was among them, posting snaps of the sisters relaxing in the sunshine as they marked the occasion.
And, as well as enjoying the birthday celebration with friends and family in Bali, Bellie has enjoyed several holidays over the past year.
Husband Sam has shared snaps of the couple with their children on adventures around the globe, including trips to Colorado as well as regular trips to Sir Richard Branson’s island Necker.
For their honeymoon in 2013, the couple went on a series of adventures, including Rwanda, where they trekked for hours into the jungle and came across a family of gorillas.