Branson admits taking cocaine and having sex in plane toilet

Sir Richard Branson, the head of Virgin airlines, has described having a sexual encounter in the lavatory of an aircraft, taking cocaine and ecstasy and being taught to roll a joint by the Rolling Stone Keith Richards.

The laddish revelations came in the latest of a series of interviews conducted by the former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan for GQ magazine. Earlier this year the Tory MP Boris Johnson also admitted taking cocaine and told the journalist that he could "imagine having sex with Cherie Blair", while The Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger was "outed" as a millionaire who did not know the price of a pint of milk but could name the cost of a skinny latte from Starbucks.

In his interview for the September edition of the men's magazine, Sir Richard said he became a member of the so-called "mile-high club" after finding himself sitting next to a "very attractive lady" on a flight to Los Angeles. "We got chatting and it went a bit further. And it was every man's dream, to be honest. I was about 19, I think", he revealed. "I remember getting off the plane and she turned to me and said, 'Look, it's slightly embarrassing but I am meeting my husband at arrivals, would you mind holding back a bit ...' But it was a memorable flight."

Sir Richard then described his attempts to hide the antics. "The problem with plane loos generally is they are very small, and the acrobatics can't take too long because there's no room and people start banging on the door. What I remember vividly is seeing four handprints on the mirror as we finished, and thinking I'd better wipe them off." Asked if he thought the woman knew now who he was, Sir Richard, 57, said: "I am absolutely certain she doesn't. It was quite nice being anonymous, now I think about it."

Virgin was the first airline to introduce double beds on its planes. It has attempted to entice customers with slogans such as: "Love at first flight"; "You never forget your first time" and "More experience than the name suggests."

In the interview, Sir Richard also admitted to experimenting with class-A drugs, and even taking Viagra. "I took ecstasy once ... but it didn't have a massive effect on me. Asked about cocaine, he said: "I suspect I've tried it, yes."`

The tycoon also said the Rolling Stone Keith Richards was "the first person to teach me how to roll a joint". He added: "I haven't tried skunk, I have smoked cannabis though. I mean, I went with my son on his gap year, for God's sake. We learnt to surf and had some nights where we laughed our heads off for eight hours."

Sir Richard is married for the second time and has two children. Of speculation in the past about his daughter, Holly, having a relationship with Prince William, the entrepreneur said the pair was "just good friends". Asked hypothetically what would be his attitude if love blossomed and they were to marry, Sir Richard exclaimed: "I think that would be a dreadful idea. Nothing against William but the life the royals lead, and the responsibilities that go with it are very difficult."

Sir Richard started his career by launching a magazine, Student, aged 16. In the 1970s, he set up the chain of record shops, Virgin Megastores, which led to his brand rising to national fame during the Eighties. He was recently involved in a power struggle with Rupert Murdoch over the commercial television channel ITV.