He might be one of the most
powerful men in the world, but Sir Richard Branson was the brunt of a thousand
jokes on Saturday night as he donned a skirt and a full face of make-up on a
flight to Malaysia. The billionaire entrepreneur swapped his boxer shorts for a
pair of stockings after losing a Grand Prix bet with AirAsia chief executive
Tony Fernandez two years ago. The Virgin boss - who even shaved his legs for
the flight - served drinks and pledged to clean the toilets on the special
flight - all while sporting the red AirAsia uniform, which included a skirt
suit and crisp white shirt. Pulling his blonde locks back into clips, Branson
completed his fresh new look with a sweep of red lipstick and a fetching set of
false eyelashes.
Putting on a brave face,
the 62-year-old finally made good on the bet that he lost two years ago - after
being too busy to see it through any earlier.
'We both had Grand Prix
teams and I was absolutely certain that I was going to win,' said the
businessman.
'Something went wrong. Of
course the drivers of that race are no longer with us.
'I went to extreme lengths
to avoid being here, but knew that one day I had to get it over with,' he
added.The funds from the flight went to the Starlight Foundation for ill
children, but as to how far Sir Richard would go for charity, he said he'd
keep his famous beard. 'Have you not seen a stewardess with a beard before?,'
he asked before boarding the six hour flight. Malaysian-born Fernandes, who
described the Briton as his mentor, used to work for Branson before setting up
his own budget airline. 'As an AirAsia X’s flight attendant, he has to comply
with our grooming standards and that includes shaving his legs, donning high
heels, putting on some makeup and slipping into the AirAsia’s famous red
uniform,' said the airline chief.
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