Richard Branson marries Alan Bates and partner of 34 years

By Fiona Parker
Sir Alan Bates has married his long-term partner Suzanne Sercombe on Sir Richard Branson’s private Caribbean island – in a ceremony officiated by the Virgin tycoon.
The former sub-postmaster and campaigner was reportedly invited to Necker Island, after Sir Alan, 70, said in an interview in January: “If Richard Branson is reading this, I’d love a holiday.”
Lady Bates, 69, reportedly only found out about the wedding hours before the couple travelled to a registry office on the nearby island of Tortola, the day before the wedding.
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Sir Alan said the decision to marry after more than three decades with his partner was partly prompted by the knighthood he was awarded in the King’s birthday honours list in June.
He told The Sunday Times newspaper: “Ever since I’ve had this knighthood, people haven’t been sure how to address Suzanne. Even I wasn’t sure.”
He added: “I thought, ‘It’s only fair. It’s time to resolve that.’ Personally, I blame the King. It’s been 34 years and we’ve managed to never do it but he really dropped me in it.”
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Sir Alan has spent the last two decades campaigning for victims of the Horizon scandal – which led to more than 900 sub-postmasters being prosecuted for non-existent shortfalls recorded by the faulty IT system.
In 2019, he and more than 500 other former sub-postmasters won a High Court battle against the Post Office, which would go on to be dramatised in the ITV drama series Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Sir Richard reportedly touched on Sir Alan’s dogged battle with the Post Office in a speech.
In a short video shared on Sir Richard’s Instagram account, he was seen officiating the wedding which took place on the beach, with Lady Bates wearing a floral-patterned dress and Sir Alan wearing a Hawaiian-style shirt.
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Pronouncing the couple, husband and wife, Sir Richard remarked that what the couple had accomplished “together” was “no small feat”.
Speaking to The Sunday Times, Sir Richard said: “It was an absolute joy to play a small part in Alan and Suzanne’s love story, and I know they will continue to spread the beautiful light they share with everyone around them.”
The couple reportedly flew first-class from London to Antigua and spent a week on Necker. They then spent a week in Antigua, where they celebrated Sir Alan’s birthday last Monday.
Later this month, the seventh and final phase of the public inquiry investigating the Horizon scandal will begin. Post Office chief executive Nick Read and former Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch are among those set to give evidence.
© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2024
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