Concerns over ‘missing’ UK explorer Ranulph Fiennes

The fate of esteemed British adventurer Ranulph Fiennes has become a matter of significant concern, with reports suggesting he is being isolated by his wife, Louise Millington-Cotes, who has allegedly imposed strict conditions on his care.

Friends and relatives, including stepson Alex Millington-Cotes, are seeking to locate and safeguard Fiennes, raising funds for legal fees.

A Welsh care sector watchdog stated that Fiennes was "unlawfully deprived of his liberty" in a care home placement, while Buckingham Palace reportedly expressed concern over his situation.

Attempts to reach Millington-Cotes for comment have been unsuccessful.

LONDON, Sept 26 — Mystery has engulfed the fate of legendary British adventurer Ranulph Fiennes, after relatives and friends went public claiming he was missing and his wife was isolating him — with one reportedly even asking King Charles for help.

Fiennes, the first person to cross the Earth pole to pole in the early 1980s, was last seen publicly nearly two years ago, months after opening up about a Parkinson’s diagnosis he received years earlier.

Last week, the Daily Telegraph reported the 82-year-old had been placed in a succession of care homes by his wife, Louise Millington-Cotes, who has allegedly put strict conditions on his care.

In a follow-up Friday in its months-long probe, the newspaper said a care sector watchdog in Wales had concluded he was “unlawfully deprived of his liberty” when housed at a facility there earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Fiennes’s stepson, Alex Millington-Cotes, this week launched a crowdfunding campaign for legal fees to “locate and safeguard” him.

“You may have recently heard the deeply concerning news: Sir Ranulph Fiennes is missing,” he wrote online, adding he had “tried multiple avenues to find” him.

Calling Fiennes “a national treasure”, he described his stepfather as “a man of immense heart, kindness, and selflessness”.

Swiss-based ex-explorer and Fiennes collaborator Michael Kobold has joined the campaign to “help lift the veil of secrecy” around his whereabouts.

“My friend of almost 30 years has gone missing and nobody besides a tiny handful of individuals seems to want to do anything to change this disgraceful status quo,” he wrote in a lengthy blogpost this month.

Fiennes has long been a towering figure in exploration, acclaimed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “greatest living explorer”.

His epic 1979-1982 Transglobe Expedition saw him proclaimed the first person to visit both north and south poles by surface means.

He later became the first to cross Antarctica completely on foot and also ran seven marathons on seven continents within a week.

Hailing from one of the most storied families in England — which counts actors Joseph and Ralph Fiennes among its extended ranks — he has been friends with King Charles for decades.

His 34-year marriage to first wife Virginia ended with her death in 2004, and he wed Millington-Cotes the following year. The couple have a daughter and stepson.

In his last public appearance — a pre-recorded video played at an October 2024 Royal Geographic Society event — he read from an off-screen script apologising for not being “well enough” to attend, The Telegraph said.

The daily reports Millington-Cotes was granted lasting power of attorney that year and has become his legal guardian, placing Fiennes in care homes in London, Wales and then northwest England.

It claims she has refused to allow some friends to visit, while also insisting any visitors sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).

Arabella McIntyre-Brown, Fiennes’s former sister-in-law, last year checked herself into the London care home where he was living and made contact.

“He was lucid — personality intact, memory clear,” she told The Telegraph, adding he had stressed he wanted to see his friends.

However, after the visit Fiennes was moved and later placed in a Welsh home, according to the newspaper.

“It’s absurd,” McIntyre-Brown told the Telegraph . “It’s like we’d stumbled into a John Le Carre novel.”

The Welsh care-home owner told the paper Millington-Cotes had failed to provide the legally required paperwork designed to protect vulnerable adults, so sought advice from the industry’s regulator.

The Care Inspectorate of Wales responded in January that Fiennes was “being deprived of his liberty unlawfully” without the paperwork, it reported.

The Inspectorate told AFP “it would not be appropriate” to comment.

Meanwhile an old friend of Fiennes, Anton Bowring, claims he had contact with Buckingham Palace last year, when a staffer told him “the king was concerned for Fiennes”, the Telegraph said.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment to AFP. Millington-Cotes could not be reached for comment.

“It’s the extraordinary final chapter in a remarkable life,” Bowring told The Telegraph.

“I know he’s still out there, alive. But I’ve grieved for him. I’ve said goodbye.” — AFP

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备受尊敬的英国探险家拉努夫·费因斯的命运已成为人们关注的焦点，有报道称他被妻子路易丝·米林顿-科茨隔离，据称她对他的照护施加了严格的条件。

包括继子亚历克斯·米林顿-科茨在内的朋友和亲戚正在努力寻找并保护费因斯，并筹集法律费用。

威尔士一家护理行业监管机构表示，费因斯在一家护理院被“非法剥夺了自由”，而据报道，白金汉宫也对他的处境表示关切。

记者多次尝试联系米林顿-科茨以获取评论，但均未成功。

伦敦，9 月 26 日——英国传奇冒险家拉努夫·费因斯的命运笼罩在神秘之中，他的亲友公开声称他失踪了，他的妻子正在与他隔离——据报道，甚至有人向查尔斯国王求助。

费因斯是 20 世纪 80 年代初第一个横跨地球南北两极的人，他最后一次公开露面是在近两年前，几个月前他公开谈论了自己多年前被诊断出患有帕金森病。

上周，《每日电讯报》报道称，这位 82 岁的老人被他的妻子路易丝·米林顿-科茨送进了多家养老院，据称她对他的护理提出了严格的条件。

该报周五发表后续报道，称经过数月的调查，威尔士一家护理行业监管机构得出结论，他今年早些时候被安置在当地一家机构时，“被非法剥夺了自由”。

与此同时，费因斯的继子亚历克斯·米林顿-科茨本周发起了一项众筹活动，筹集法律费用以“找到并保护”他。

“你可能最近听到了一个令人深感担忧的消息：拉努夫·费因斯爵士失踪了，”他在网上写道，并补充说他“尝试了多种途径来寻找”他。

他称费因斯为“国宝”，并形容他的继父是“一个心地善良、无私奉献的人”。

瑞士前探险家、费因斯的合作伙伴迈克尔·科博尔德也加入了这场“帮助揭开费因斯下落之谜”的活动。

“我相识近 30 年的朋友失踪了，除了极少数人之外，似乎没有人想做任何事来改变这种可耻的现状，”他在本月的一篇长篇博客文章中写道。

费因斯长期以来都是探险界的泰斗，被吉尼斯世界纪录誉为“在世最伟大的探险家”。

在他史诗般的 1979-1982 年环球探险中，他被誉为第一个通过地面方式到达南北极的人。

他后来成为第一个徒步穿越南极洲的人，并在一周内跑完了七大洲的七个马拉松。

他出身于英国最负盛名的家族之一——这个家族中不乏演员约瑟夫·费因斯和拉尔夫·费因斯——并且与查理国王保持了几十年的友谊。

他与第一任妻子弗吉尼亚的34年婚姻于2004年弗吉尼亚去世后结束，次年他与米林顿-科茨结婚。他们育有一女和一名继子。

据《每日电讯报》报道，在他最后一次公开露面——一段在2024年10月皇家地理学会活动上播放的预先录制的视频——中，他照着屏幕外的稿子念道，为自己“身体状况不佳”无法出席而道歉。

据每日报道，米林顿-科茨当年获得了持久授权委托书，并成为他的法定监护人，将费因斯安置在伦敦、威尔士以及英格兰西北部的养老院中。

报道称，她拒绝让一些朋友来访，同时还坚持要求所有访客签署保密协议（NDA）。

费因斯的前妻阿拉贝拉·麦金泰尔-布朗去年入住费因斯居住的伦敦养老院，并与他取得了联系。

“他神志清醒——性格完整，记忆清晰，”她告诉《每日电讯报》，并补充说他曾强调他想见见他的朋友们。

但据报纸报道，探望结束后，费因斯被转移，后来被安置在威尔士的一家养老院。

“这太荒谬了，”麦金泰尔-布朗告诉《每日电讯报》，“感觉就像我们误入了约翰·勒卡雷的小说世界。”

威尔士一家养老院的老板告诉报社，米灵顿-科茨未能提供旨在保护弱势成年人的法律要求文件，因此向行业监管机构寻求建议。

据报道，威尔士护理督察局在 1 月份回应称，费因斯在没有相关文件的情况下“被非法剥夺了自由”。

监察部门告诉法新社，“不宜”对此发表评论。

与此同时，《每日电讯报》报道称，费因斯的老朋友安东·鲍林声称，他去年曾与白金汉宫联系过，当时一名工作人员告诉他“国王很关心费因斯”。

白金汉宫拒绝就此事向法新社置评。记者未能联系到米林顿-科茨置评。

“这是非凡人生中非凡的最后一章，”鲍林告诉《每日电讯报》。

“我知道他还活着，还在外面。但我已经为他哀悼过了。我已经和他道别了。”——法新社

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