Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ stepson launches £55,000 fundraiser as explorer’s whereabouts remain unknown

Alexander Millington-Cotes, 31, is seeking to raise £55,000 towards legal fees required to "locate and safeguard" his beloved stepfather Sir Ranulph, whose whereabouts are unknown.

His mother Louise Millington-Cotes has lasting power of attorney over Sir Ranulph and has reportedly been keeping the 82-year-old in several care homes "illegally" over the last two years under a false name.

The launch of the crowd funder comes as friends and family members of Sir Ranulph - who suffers with Parkinson’s disease - demand an urgent investigation by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) into his wife’s handling of his care.

It comes amid mounting concern about Sir Ranulph’s whereabouts, which are currently unknown to several of his friends and family members, amid accusations that his wife has disregarded her duties as his legal guardian and gone to extreme lengths to keep him away from others.

Veteran BBC correspondent John Simpson, a close friend of the explorer, is among those who has called for more information about Sir Ranulph to be disclosed.

He wrote on X: “Horrified to hear what’s happened to my good friend Ran Fiennes.

“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.”

Adventurers Bear Grylls and Ben Fogle have also joined the chorus expressing concerns for his welfare.

Grylls described Sir Ranulph as a “true British icon” and a “pioneer, a humble warrior and a good friend to so many of us”.

“He never failed to support me when I needed help. Now is our time. We have been desperately trying to connect with Ran for a year now to no avail.”

He said the reports of his isolation were “so deeply disturbing” and called for the Office for the Public Guardian (OPG) and police to “investigate urgently”.

Fogle has also called for the OPG to investigate the case, saying he is “deeply disturbed by stories concerning my friend."

“That such a great man, hero of mine and a national treasure, should be treated in this way, isolated and kept away from family and friends, is very troubling.”

Last night the Telegraph reported that Mr Millington-Cotes was contacting police in the locations where he thinks the explorer could be to take up the case, including Cheshire Constabulary and West Mercia Police, but with "no luck so far".

Cheshire Constabulary, reportedly said it could “neither confirm nor deny”whether officers had visited the care home in Cheshire, and West Mercia Police did not respond to questions.

It was reported on Friday that the owner of one of the care homes where the retired adventurer was living raised concerns about his wellbeing to authorities and contacted the police.

Family have reportedly questioned a do not resuscitate document that she provided.

The newspaper reported that Mrs Millington-Cotes told one care home in Wales that her husband was “an ex-SAS man whose life might be in danger from extremists” and claimed staff at a previous care home had tried to kill him - which subsequently were found to have amounted to a deprivation of his liberty.

She also allegedly made visitors sign non-disclosure agreements before seeing him, and forced him wear a hat, sunglasses and gloves in public to prevent anyone from recognising him.

In a message posted on the fundraising page, Alexander Millington-Cotes said: "Ran has spent his entire life pushing boundaries for others and representing the best of human endurance. Now, he needs us to fight for him."

He added the funds would go towards securing specialist legal representation and advice, preparing court documents and "costs related to determining his exact location".

The 31-year-old, who is estranged from his mother, alleged he had been forced to visit his stepfather in secret after the breakdown of the relationship with his mother.

“Since being asked to leave the family home and not come back, I can only imagine the amplification of Ran’s difficulties and isolation,” he said.

“His isolation would consist of being effectively annexed in the other end of the house, with relatively minimal contact.

“I remember him gleaming the occasional times I would appear unannounced with some sweet treats, which I’d had to haul with me as I climbed over the seven-foot industrial entrance gate.

He added that he had tried "multiple avenues to find Ran and be able to have a simple conversation with him, or to be able to take him for a brief coffee."

"The last time I saw Ran was when he whisked me away while I was walking up the drive on one of my infrequent post-2018 visits, sadly neither him or I realised that it may be the last time we’d see and hug one another. This is the moment he told me he was proud of me, a sweet moment in my memory."

Fiennes married Millington-Cotes in 2005, a year after the death of his first wife, Ginny.

Sir Ranulph, widely regarded as the world’s "greatest living explorer" has undertaken several legendary exploits.

In the 1980s he became the first person to visit both the North and the South Pole on foot during the groundbreaking Transglobe Expedition, and he became the first person ever to completely cross Antarctica on footIn May 2009, at the age of 65, Sir Ranulph climbed to the summit of Mount Everest.

He has suffered various health scares over the years, including a heart attack in 2003 which led to him undergoing emergency bypass surgery.

In 2019, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease but did not reveal the diagnosis publicly until 2022.

Care Inspectorate Wales, the independent regulator of social care, said: “Care Inspectorate Wales is committed to promoting the safety, wellbeing and rights of people who receive social care services across Wales. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on an individual’s personal circumstances or care arrangements.”