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British explorer Ranulph Fiennes Alamy Stock Photo
Whereabouts unknown
Friends of explorer Ranulph Fiennes 'concerned' after he disappears from public for two years
Fiennes’ wife was said to have blocked attempts by friends, including the British king, to reach out to him.
FRIENDS OF THE British explorer Ranulph Fiennes, including Britain’s King Charles, are concerned for his wellbeing as he has not been seen in public for two years.
Fiennes was the first person to completely traverse Antarctica and reached the summit of Mount Everest at the age of 65. He has also written numerous fiction and non-fiction books and once stood for election as a member of the now-dissolved Countryside Party in England.
Britain’s King Charles was reportedly blocked as he tried to check on Fiennes’ wellbeing, after being alerted to concerns about his declining health and isolation.
The British monarch was left “most concerned” about the 82-year-old, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019.
Fiennes has been living in care homes since 2024, but his current whereabouts are unknown. He is said to have been moved to care homes in Wales and England in the past year under an assumed identity.
His fellow explorer Anton Bowring wrote to him in February last year asking for his help, The Telegraph revealed this week.
Fiennes’ wife Louise Millington-Cotes was said to have blocked the king’s attempts to reach out, the newspaper said.
It’s understood that Bowring sent a letter to the monarch’s principal private secretary, Clive Alderton, saying the explorer was “in a very poor state” and had been in the care of his wife since the previous September and that his friends were worried.
The British king reportedly wanted to write to Fiennes and his family to express his concern and see if he could do anything to help.
He also asked for Millington-Cotes’ phone number, but she reportedly fired off angry text messages to Bowring after Buckingham Palace was given her details.
Famous friends of Fiennes, including TV presenter Bear Grylls and actress Joanna Lumley, have spoken out about the situation in recent weeks, with growing calls for an investigation into his wellbeing by both the police and the UK’s Office of the Public Guardian.
Grylls said, “Ran we are coming!” and called him a “true British icon”, saying reports of his isolation and treatment in care homes were “deeply disturbing”.
Before becoming an explorer, Fiennes served in the British military and also the army of the Sultanate of Oman.
He was dismissed from the Special Air Service (SAS) after his plan to blow up a temporary dam made for the 1967 film Dr Doolittle was foiled.
With reporting from Press Association
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