How they are linked: The Branson children and their royal connections Holding hands as they skipped in a circle among half-naked dancers and fancy- dress dwarfs, they looked like any ordinary group of girls engaging in high jinks at the relaunch of London nightclub Chinawhite, formerly a haunt of footballers and wannabe Wags.
In a simple £20 black Topshop dress was Chelsy Davy, girlfriend of Prince Harry, the third in line to the throne. Holding her hand was the Australian singer and model Natalie Imbruglia, looking fashionably geeky in black-rimmed glasses.
Next to her, flashing her trademark toothy grin, was Princess Beatrice, fifth in line to the throne.
And leading them all in their merry dance, effortlessly merging royalty, celebrity and immense wealth, was Holly Branson, the blonde daughter of billionaire Sir Richard Branson.
Because if there is a party, and the royals are there, you can bet Holly, 28, and her younger brother Sam, 24, will be at the centre of it. The pair have long been mainstays of Princes William and Harry's social scene.
But this week, the Branson / Windsor link became further intertwined when it emerged that Sir Richard's nephew, Otto Brockway, has become the first serious boyfriend of Prince Andrew's youngest daughter, Princess Eugenie.
Sir Richard once joked to his wife Joan - on seeing Holly and Prince William playing in the sand as children on his private Caribbean island of Necker - that she could one day be Queen Mother. Well, there's time...
Cachet: Richard Branson sees the royals as both a marketing and social opportunity 'To Branson, the royals are both a marketing and a social opportunity,' says Tom Bower, Branson's biographer.
'He very cleverly got involved with Princess Diana, offering her lots of freebies so that she became a regular on Virgin Atlantic.
'And he has given his children a big push to stay friendly with the Princes. Branson isn't someone who does things by halves.'
While Princess Diana once shocked royal circles by wearing a Virgin T- shirt when leaving her Harbour Club gym, it seems the younger royals are just as keen to embrace the Virgin motto.
In a few weeks, Princess Beatrice, 21, will be running the London Marathon. Although she will be raising money for Children In Crisis - the charity founded by her mother, the Duchess of York - she will be chained to Holly and Sam and a dozen other friends all running together in a 'giant snake' under the team banner of event sponsor, Virgin.
Beatrice, in particular, is a regular at Virgin events. When the company showcased its spaceship programme in New York last year, she was there. She is also said to have put £100,000 down to become the first royal in space on Branson's planned tourist rockets.
There is nothing like the presence of a princess to bring cachet to an event.
But then again, Beatrice is dating Virgin Galactic's impressively titled head of astronaut relations, Dave Clark. Dave, 27, may not officially be a Branson - but he is as good as.
Son of multi-millionaire former Cadbury-Schweppes chief lawyer Michael Clark, he and Beatrice met when they were invited by Sam Branson, naturally, to the 23rd birthday party of Sean Brosnan, youngest son of former Bond star Pierce.
As one of Sam's closest friends, Clark has holidayed with the Branson family on Necker, and Richard was impressed enough with the royal consort to give him a prime role in his most ambitious venture to date, bringing space travel to the masses.
'They are an incredibly cute and close couple,' says one acquaintance of the pair. 'They are always together, and Dave has really taken on the role of her protector. He is good-looking and charming, and they seem genuinely to be in love.'
Now, it seems Eugenie, 19, may soon be joining her sister as a Virgin cheerleader. Polo-playing Otto also works for the family firm and was chief film-maker when Sam and Richard went on a Virgin-sponsored trip to the Arctic to witness the apparent effects of climate change.
Otto, whose father is graphic designer Robin Brockway, and Eugenie, a history of art student at Newcastle University, are said to share a love of dancing and parties.
Eugenie met Otto through her close friend Eliza Pearson, eldest daughter of Lord and Lady Cowdray. Eliza, heiress to the Pearson media conglomerate, is married to Otto's half-brother Ned Abel Smith - who also works for Virgin Galactic.
Royal escorts: Holly Branson parties with Prince William (left) and joins Princess Eugenie (right) And it is not just Fergie and Andrew's daughters who are ensconced with the Bransons. As well as being friends and matchmakers for Beatrice and Eugenie, Holly and Sam are at the centre of William and Harry's close-knit circle of friends.
They regularly organise parties for the group - usually at the Kensington Roof Gardens nightclub which, handily enough, is owned by their dad.
Holly also often holds soirees for the group at her £4.75million four-bedroom house in London's Holland Park.
'Holly and Sam are always at the centre of things,' says a source. 'They have the contacts and know how to really make a party go.'
So when the royals and their circle need a charity bash to be organised, the Bransons are always ready to step in.
When Prince William's girlfriend, Kate Middleton, wanted to organise a fundraiser in memory of her friend Thomas Waley-Cohen, who died of bone cancer, Holly came up with the idea of a Day-Glo themed roller disco which helped raise £100,000.
Or when the Princes wanted to raise money for a Ugandan charity in memory of their friend Henry van Straubenzee, who died in a car crash, Holly arranged for a charity screening of the West End show Sister Act.
And when William's close friend Olly Hicks spent 124 days at sea rowing solo from America to England, he was sponsored by Virgin Global Row.
Yet, easy as it is to see why the friendship between the blue bloods and the nouveau Bransons has sprung up, according to sources it is underpinned by the fact that Holly and Sam are simply very likeable.
'Everybody loves Holly,' says a friend. 'She is brilliant fun and will match any man for beers or mojitos, which are her favourite drink.
'She has a really earthy sense of humour, loves sexual innuendo and is extremely flirtatious and tactile. She will even sit on Harry's lap and stroke his hair, but everyone knows that is just her manner.
'Unless you knew who she was, you'd never guess that she was in line to inherit a billion-pound empire.'
While her father may have harboured hopes of her becoming a royal bride, Holly appears happier being friends with the Princes and their girlfriends. And her loyalty has earned her their thanks
Millionaire's playground: The Branson-owned Necker Island is a popular holiday destination for the royals When Kate split from William in 2007, it was Holly she turned to, and the pair escaped on holiday together.
Until recently, Holly had worked hard to fulfil her dream of becoming a paediatrician. But last year, during her second year as a junior doctor, she gave it up to work for her father.
'I can go back to medicine, but now I'm learning about the family business,' she said. 'I'm doing courses over the next year: every aspect of business, including law. There is so much to learn. That's why I am doing the studying as well as the practical work.'
Initially, her father tempted her back to Virgin by getting her involved in the health side of his empire - he is planning to open a string of GP surgeries. But it has rapidly become clear that he is grooming her to take over the company.
'Richard is putting her in all the different departments to learn the ropes,' says the friend. 'It's a lot of pressure.'
Until Holly decided to give up medicine, Richard's hopes lay with Sam, a former male model. But while Holly was the academic one, Sam admits he has always struggled to apply himself.
He dropped out of university after a month and took a cookery course - although he tells friends he still can't cook. He then took a three-month music course in Los Angeles, has had bit parts in films and even tried his hand at being a radio DJ.
Although he has been dating the improbably named aristocratic model Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe for three years, on the partying scene Sam is known as being slightly wilder than his big sister - and acquaintances say Holly often acts more like his mother in keeping an eye on his excesses.
'Sam is definitely more of a worry,' says a source. 'Although he is as charming as the rest of the clan, there is a fear that he would simply like to be a playboy.
However, as tough as Richard is in business, he finds it impossible to say no to his son. He sees a lot of himself in Sam - particularly his love of extreme sports.'
'Richard spoilt Sam rotten,' says Tom Bower.
'But it is obvious that Holly has become the heir apparent.'
Sir Richard, it appears, is keener on Sam becoming the face of Virgin (as opposed to the brains), and to that end has enlisted him to go on a number of 'eco' projects, from the Arctic to Africa, in order to understand and publicise Virgin's plans to develop eco-fuels.
'His big strength is his people skills,' Richard says of Sam. 'I don't want to push him too much, because he's having a good time, but there will come a time when me jumping out of planes or going up in balloons ... well, a good-looking, younger version would be more appropriate.'
A good-looking, younger version - with a royal friend or two by his side. Well, that would be perfect.
source: dailymail
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