Ranulph Fiennes’ stepson: I had to climb over security fence to see Ran for the last time

The Telegraph exposed earlier this month that Sir Ranulph has been missing for nearly two years.

We now know that the retired adventurer, 82, who has Parkinson’s, has been shuttled between a series of care homes under false names and kept isolated from his closest family and friends – a situation the care watchdog called “unlawful”.

And all this comes at the instruction of his second wife, Louise Millington-Cotes, 59, who is Alexander Millington-Cotes’s mother.

Now Mr Millington-Cotes, 31, finds himself at the centre of a storm of anger over his stepfather’s treatment. He is spearheading a campaign to challenge his mother’s lasting power of attorney over Sir Ranulph and launching a crowdfunding campaign to “locate and safeguard” his stepfather.

He, and several other of Sir Ranulph’s close friends and family, who call him Ran, discreetly asked The Telegraph to investigate his whereabouts and wellbeing more than six months ago.

Since our interview with Alexander, Cheshire Police have released this statement:

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.”

Read more from this interview here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/09/27/fiennes-stepson-climb-over-fence-to-see-him/

#ranulphfiennes #explorer #humanrights

► Sign up to the Telegraph's free new daily newsletter, From the Editor, bringing you the latest news, features and analysis from the Telegraph newsroom: www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/secure/newsletter/from-the-editor/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_youtube_telegraphmain

► Get the latest headlines: www.telegraph.co.uk?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_youtube_telegraphmain

► Stay ahead with a Telegraph digital subscription:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/subscription/store?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_youtube_telegraphmain

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ and https://www.youtube.com/telegraph are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.