It would be a sad day if Sir Richard acquired them, used them for a very short time to gain publicity then dumped them somewhere doubtless covered in his company logos for posterity.
Which is why, IMO, BA could have called his bluff by only handing them over if Virgin were contractually obliged to run a service for at least 5 years, say. If he wasn't able to do that, he would have to hand them back freshly painted in their existing BA scheme.
This is a
PR battle that Branson has conclusively won. (In the eyes of the public at least). I myself am firmly of the opinion that the thought of Branson running a successful supersonic operation, which BA gave up on, is the prime reason he's not allowed anywhere near them. Whether he could have or not, will always remain a moot point.
Re
BA have engineered a dignified retirement for the fleet
Surely you mean announced a retirement just long enough to fully cash in?
You're right on one point though, Branson did look a tw*t in that silver suit.