Sir Ranulph Fiennes, 82, has not been seen publicly in nearly two years, prompting concern from family and friends who say they have been unable to locate him. Relatives allege Fiennes has been admitted to multiple care homes under assumed names following a family rift involving his wife, Louise Millington-Cotes. His stepson, Alex Millington-Cotes, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to gain access and potentially change the power of attorney, believing his mother is not acting in Fiennes’s best interests. Arabella Pepper, sister of Fiennes’s late first wife, described being able to visit him only after admitting herself to a care home where she learned he was staying, and said he expressed a strong desire to reconnect with loved ones. Cheshire Police have stated they are satisfied Fiennes is receiving appropriate care and have found no immediate safeguarding concerns.
Actor Joseph Fiennes, a cousin of the explorer, secretly visited him at a London care home in July 2025, where he was registered under the name Ron Westwood, and subsequently wrote to the Office of the Public Guardian expressing concern about Fiennes’s isolation. Numerous public figures, including Bear Grylls and John Simpson, have voiced similar worries. Pepper recounted that Fiennes asked her to deliver a message of love to his friends and family, stating he was “longing to see them.”
The circumstances surrounding Fiennes’s care and location remain a source of distress for those close to him, despite police assurances. The explorer, known as “the world’s greatest living explorer” for being the first to reach both poles by surface means, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease months before his disappearance from public view. The exact reasons for the family rift and the decision to place Fiennes in care under an assumed name are not fully clear.
Our reading is that a concerted effort is underway by family and friends to locate and reconnect with Sir Ranulph Fiennes, despite assurances from authorities regarding his care. The discrepancy between police satisfaction with his care and the accounts of those who have managed to visit him suggests a complex situation where access is being actively restricted. The proactive steps taken by his cousin and stepson, including legal avenues and covert visits, indicate a deep level of concern and a belief that Fiennes’s current circumstances are not what he would wish.
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