Two British darlings and two very different Auckland transport tales. Holly Branson, the 30-year-old daughter of billionaire Virgin founder, Sir Richard Branson, went to Waiheke on Monday with her fiancé Freddie Andrews. The pair had cheered the All Blacks at the Queen St parade before boarding a Sealegs amphibious craft across the Hauraki Gulf bound for Stonyridge Vineyard.
Meanwhile, fellow Brit Elizabeth Emanuel, who famously designed Princess Diana's wedding dress in 1982, told Spy she was horrified when an officious organiser told her to catch the bus to an event last week, despite not knowing Auckland. She didn't. She had the sense to call a cab instead of trying to navigate her way around town on public transport by herself.
Emanuel's visit coincided with the Branson clan's trip Downunder. Their paths first crossed 22 years ago when the fashion designer was commissioned to make the wedding outfits for Richard, Joan and their children. It was Branson's second marriage and he arrived at the ceremony dangling from a helicopter. Two years later, he asked Elizabeth to design a range of Virgin Airline uniforms, as well as luggage and accessories.
It hasn't been a life of designer duds and privilege for Freddie, who's marrying into the billionaire family next month. His dad is retired and his mum is a schoolteacher. He presented Holly with a pink sapphire engagement ring. When our mole asked if he meant a pink diamond, Freddie said: "No, it's a sapphire. I couldn't afford a £2m ring." But you could just pretend it's a diamond, our mole joked. Holly replied innocently: "Mummy has a pink diamond and she would know it's not real."
Her dad, at least, was playing it down-to-earth at the Kentish Tavern in Waiuku - the hometown of AB hero Stephen Donald. Locals say he's certainly the first billionaire to drink there and probably the first man to have had plastic surgery to drink there. And he is most certainly in the very low percentile of Kentish visitors with no assault conviction to their name.
