Police say Sir Ranulph Fiennes is in 'appropriate' care after family raise welfare concerns

Police have said Sir Ranulph Fiennes, 82, is “living in an appropriate setting” and receiving “suitable care” after his family said they did not know where the celebrated explorer was.

In a statement to LBC on Monday, Cheshire Police detective chief superintendent Claire Jesson said: “Police and partner agencies are aware of the concerns raised and are satisfied that Sir Ranulph Fiennes is living in an appropriate setting with suitable care and professional oversight.

“No immediate safeguarding concerns have been identified at this time.”

The statement follows reports last week that Fiennes had been moved between care homes in Wales and Cheshire in the past year under assumed names, allegedly by his second wife, Louise Millington-Cotes. The explorer was last seen in public in October 2024.

Arabella McIntyre-Brown, the sister of Fiennes’s first wife Ginny, who died in 2004, told The Daily Telegraph: “We — Ran’s family and close friends — have been very concerned for his safety and mental wellbeing [and the fact he has] been isolated for so long.”

His stepson, Alexander Millington-Cotes, said over the weekend that he had contacted police in the hope an investigation would be launched. King Charles was alerted to the situation earlier this year, according to reports.

Celebrity friends have also spoken out. Bear Grylls said he had been “desperately trying to connect with Ran for a year now to no avail”, while Ben Fogle called the reports “very troubling”. Veteran BBC correspondent John Simpson wrote on X: “He’s the world’s bravest man, and he’s vulnerable. We must know what’s happening to him.”

Det Ch Supt Jesson asked for privacy to be respected and for “unnecessary speculation” to be avoided.

Sources

• LADbible: Police address welfare concerns for ‘Britain’s greatest explorer’ Sir Ranulph Fiennes — police statement to LBC; family quotes via The Daily Telegraph; Bear Grylls, Ben Fogle, John Simpson statements