Key facts
- Alexander Millington-Cotes, stepson of Sir Ranulph Fiennes, will speak with Cheshire police this week about concerns for the explorer's wellbeing.
- Millington-Cotes said a detective contacted him, offering hope that his observations would be taken seriously.
- Cheshire police stated on Monday they had no safeguarding concerns for the 82-year-old Fiennes.
- Fiennes, who has Parkinson's, has reportedly not been seen in public for two years.
- A care home owner raised concerns to regulators that Fiennes was being "deprived of his liberty unlawfully".
- Millington-Cotes is crowdfunding a legal application to wrest power of attorney from Fiennes' wife.
Alexander Millington-Cotes, the stepson of explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, has stated he intends to speak with Cheshire police this week regarding his concerns about the wellbeing of the renowned adventurer. Millington-Cotes, who is estranged from his mother, Louise, Fiennes's current wife, said a recent call from a detective offered him hope that the concerns of Fiennes's friends and family were being taken seriously.
Questions have been raised in recent months about the welfare of Sir Ranulph, 82, who has Parkinson's disease and is under the care of his wife, who holds power of attorney. His relative, actor Joseph Fiennes, wrote to the Office of the Public Guardian in January expressing worries that Sir Ranulph was being isolated from friends and family. The explorer has not been seen in public for two years.
Millington-Cotes, 31, described Cheshire police's initial statement on Monday, which said they had no "safeguarding concerns" and were satisfied Sir Ranulph was living in an appropriate setting with suitable care, as "slapdash" and "really disappointing". He believes a wider group of friends are concerned that the police do not have the full picture.
It is claimed that Sir Ranulph has spent over a year living under assumed names in various care homes. Arabella Pepper, the sister of Sir Ranulph's late first wife, Ginny, stated that visitors were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements and that Sir Ranulph appeared "incredibly relieved" to see her, speaking of his "longing" to see friends. Michael Kobold, a friend, expressed concern that the explorer's isolation had become "even more draconian".
Concerns were also raised by the owner of a care home in Wales where Sir Ranulph had stayed. The owner reported to the regulator, Care Inspectorate Wales, that correct protocols were not in place and that Sir Ranulph was being "deprived of his liberty unlawfully". Millington-Cotes is currently crowdfunding a legal application to attempt to remove power of attorney from his mother.