Sir Ranulph Fiennes was ‘unlawfully deprived of his liberty’ after his wife placed him in a series of care homes following his disappearance from public life two years ago, it was reported last night.
The retired explorer and author – whose whereabouts first became a mystery when he failed to appear at a gala in his honour in 2024 – has been staying in various care facilities under a false name, on the instructions of his wife, Louise Millington-Cotes, who also enforced strict conditions on how he was to be cared for.
It has now been revealed the owner of one of the facilities where Sir Ranulph, 82, resided raised concerns regarding his welfare to authorities and the police.
The owner of the care home in Wales is said to have written to the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) to alert them of the unusual medical provisions imposed by Ms Millington-Cotes, including concerns about the legitimacy of a ‘do not resuscitate’ document she provided.
At the beginning of this year, a care watchdog found Sir Ranulph was being deprived of his liberty unlawfully as his wife did not check the relevant legal protocols were implemented.
News of his treatment comes as Ms Millington-Cotes, 59, and Sir Ranulph’s other family and friends continue to be in dispute over his care, with some even considering legal action to challenge her guardianship.
Friends have previously expressed concern for his safety, alleging his wife would not tell them where he was staying or allow them to visit. Before his disappearance, Sir Ranulph had spoken of the challenges of living with Parkinson’s disease.
Sir Ranulph married Ms Millington-Cotes following the death of his first wife, Virginia ‘Ginny’ Fiennes, in 2004 from cancer.
At 38, Ms Millington-Cotes, a horse trainer from Cheshire, was 23 years younger than Sir Ranulph. He became a father for the first time shortly after they were married, when their daughter Elizabeth was born. His daughter is now 20.
His friends – many of whom were not invited to the wedding – spoke of being cut out since the marriage.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who has not been publicly seen in two years, has been kept in a series of care homes illegally by his wife, Louise Millington-Cotes (pictured together)
The owner of one of the facilities where former explorer Sir Ranulph resided raised concerns regarding his welfare to authorities and the police
News of his treatment comes as Sir Ranulph’s wife is in dispute with his family and friends over his care (Sir Ranulph pictured with King Charles in London in 2012)
The mystery of his whereabouts emerged after he failed to attend a Royal Geographical Society gala evening celebrating his life on October 23, 2024. Instead he appeared in a brief, pre-recorded video. He has not been seen in public since.
It was reported Sir Ranulph spent time at a care home in London last year, where his wife asked visitors to sign non-disclosure agreements before they could see him.
He was later moved from that home and spent time at care facilities in Wales and Cheshire. His exact whereabouts have been unknown to anyone but his wife and daughter, Elizabeth.
At the home in Wales Ms Millington-Cotes employed a private carer to look after him and supply his medication, instead of registering him with a GP.
But despite being alerted by the owner of the care home that she must ensure a deprivation of liberty safeguards (DoLS) order was in place, Ms Millington-Cotes failed to do so.
The owner then contacted the Care Inspectorate of Wales, who in January concluded Sir Ranulph was ‘deprived of his liberty unlawfully’ as no authorised deprivation was enacted that ‘reflects the current residence and restrictions in place’.
The watchdog concluded the former explorer is ‘under continuous supervision and control’ and ‘is not free to leave and is not able to consent to care, treatment and accommodation’.
The care home subsequently alerted Ms Millington-Cotes to the illegality and gravity of the circumstances, but she did not want them to apply for a DoLS order. When Sir Ranulph was removed from the care facility, it had still not been acquired.
Sir Ranulph had been registered at the care home under a false name by his wife, who insisted he wore a hat, sunglasses and gloves to prevent him being recognised when he was taken for walks by his carer.
Another issue involved a do not resuscitate order given to the care facility by Mrs Millington-Cotes, which could not be validated.
The care facility owner said they had not written to the OPG for a resident for over eight years.
The Daily Mail was unable to contact Ms Millington-Cotes for comment.
