Royalty and celebrities are jetting to sunny South Africa for the wedding of Sam Branson and Isabella Calthorpe. The Branson family will welcome a star-studded guest list to their spectacular hideaway on the edge of the Kruger National Park to witness 27-year-old producer Sam and society darling and actress Isabella, 32, tie the knot. Among the 300 high-profile guests are Prince Harry's girlfriend and the bride's younger half-sister Cressida Bonas as well as the close friends of the young Bransons, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.
Hello! Editor, Rosie Nixon, who is attending the wedding, said, "The South African bush is an incredibly beautiful setting for this special occasion, and I'm thrilled that we will be sharing all the photos and details from Sam and Isabella's wedding with you in Monday's special edition of HELLO!" The backdrop of Sir Richard's private game reserve, Ulusaba, provides a dream wedding venue. The secluded reserve features 21 luxury rooms and lodges, some with private plunge pools, perched on a hilltop overlooking the plains and the distant Drackensburg mountain range. Safari game drives in open Land Rovers coincide with the spectacular sunrises and sunsets. The couple's engagement was revealed in June 2012 when Virgin tycoon Sir Richard tellingly wrote on his blog, "Proud mum and dad! Can't wait to welcome another daughter into the family." Sam proposed to his then girlfriend, whose full name is Isabella Amaryllis Charlotte Calthorpe-Anstruther-Gough, on the beach during a holiday to Madagascar. Stage actress and model Isabella is the daughter of property tycoon John Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe and Lady Mary-Gaye Georgiana Lorna Curzon. Prince Harry's new love Cressie is Lady Mary-Gaye's youngest child by ex-husband Jeffrey Bonas. The wedding follows Holly Branson's idyllic nuptials on the family's beautiful 74-acre Necker Island in December 2011. She married shipbroker Fred Andrews in a ceremony on the same date that her parents had said 'I do' in 1989.
Their 100 invitees included Princess Beatrice and her sister Eugenie, who declined an invitation to Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace with the Queen in order to attend the special day. Full photo album and interview containing all the magical details of Sam and Isabella's wedding will be in HELLO! on sale Monday.