Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ family and close friends are demanding an urgent investigation into his care after claims the 82-year-old explorer has been unlawfully kept in a series of care homes under false names.
The endurance record holder, who in 1982 became the first person to reach both the North and South Poles by surface means only, has reportedly been placed into the facilities by his second wife, Louise Millington-Cotes. She is also accused of blocking family and friends from contacting him, with King Charles said to have been alerted to his disappearance earlier this year.
Arabella McIntyre-Brown, the sister of Sir Ranulph’s first wife Ginny, who died in 2004, told The Daily Telegraph that relatives have grown increasingly alarmed by his prolonged isolation. “We – Ran’s family and close friends – have been very concerned for his safety and mental wellbeing [and the fact he has] been isolated for so long,” she said. “Reports of his physical wellbeing are also very worrying. He’s a tough fellow, but he’s only human. The sooner the OPG moves, the better.”
The Office of the Public Guardian oversees deputies and attorneys who make decisions for people lacking mental capacity under English and Welsh law. McIntyre-Brown’s call for swift action came as the watchdog assessed the explorer’s situation.
Alexander Millington-Cotes, Sir Ranulph’s stepson and Louise Millington-Cotes’ estranged son, has also pressed officials to intervene. “Of course, the OPG should investigate … We would love them to investigate,” he said. “I spoke to them the other day, and also called up the safeguarding team and gave them more information … I’ve heard nothing back so far.”
Millington-Cotes, who shares a 20-year-old daughter with Sir Ranulph, is further reported to have produced a do not resuscitate document that other relatives have questioned.
Veteran BBC correspondent John Simpson, a longtime friend of the explorer, added his voice to the outcry on X. “Horrified to hear what’s happened to my good friend Ran Fiennes,” he wrote. “I’d like to tell the relevant authorities everything I know about the way he’s been treated. He’s the world’s bravest man, and he’s vulnerable. We must know what’s happening to him.”
Sir Ranulph was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, initially keeping the condition private before discussing it publicly during a National Geographic series filmed with his cousin Joseph Fiennes. “I think the Parkinson stuff is very different with different sufferers from it,” he said at the time. “I find you get sudden spells of dizziness, and when they are happening, you need to be careful until the dizziness goes otherwise, you’re going to go flat, and the injury that you get from falling over because of it is going to be worse than Parkinson’s.”
He also spoke about pursuing cold swimming as a form of management, noting the irony given his lifetime of polar expeditions. “Looking at what gives me the most hope to try and cure myself is cold swimming. And I intend to do that. Unfortunately, you have to like getting into cold water – I spent my life trying to avoid getting cold.”
The explorer’s last public appearance came in October 2024, after which he largely withdrew from view. Concerns now center on whether his wife has breached her duties as his legal guardian through the extreme restrictions allegedly placed on his contact with others.
