Carers ‘failed to properly question’ Ranulph Fiennes’s isolation, stepson says

Carers looking after Sir Ranulph Fiennes may have failed to adequately question the explorer’s wishes in relation to seeing his friends and family, his stepson has suggested.

Alex Millington-Cotes said the 82-year-old had previously told safeguarding officials he was satisfied with his arrangements, but questioned whether they had queried his alleged isolation from family and friends.

In an interview with Times Radio he said: “I think it’s just the case of these teams not really looking further than really the surface, so far as the process is going. They’re looking at sort of face value. They’re not really delving into the past and how he’s got to where he is now and the fact that he’s isolated.”

It comes after those close to Sir Ranulph called for an investigation into his care arrangements after allegations he has been illegally placed in a series of care homes under a fake name by his wife Louise Millington-Cotes. It has been claimed that his wife put extreme conditions on how he is looked after, and not allowed him to see friends or family.

King Charles is reportedly among those who have been blocked after trying to reach out to his longterm friend, after he was reportedly alerted to concerns about his declining health and isolation.

Mr Millington-Cotes said the explorer had told safeguarding teams that “everything was OK, and he was satisfied” while at a care home in west London, around a year and a half ago.

But he described his stepfather as a “very sociable person” and questioned whether the decision was “properly coming from his heart”.

“The real worry is that he’s very vulnerable. And so he really can’t properly speak for himself or sort of protect himself,” he said.

The Telegraph previously reported a watchdog concluded Sir Ranulph has been “unlawfully deprived of his liberty”. A care home owner in Wales, where Sir Ranulph had been placed for seven weeks this year, spoke to the newspaper, saying they had reported several concerns about Sir Ranulph’s wellbeing to the authorities, including the police.

The care home owner also raised concerns with the Care Inspectorate of Wales, which declared Sir Ranulph was being unlawfully kept in care homes and unable to consent to his care or treatment.

His family believe he was in a care home in London before being moved to the facility in Wales and later one in Cheshire.

Mr Millington-Cotes is now crowdfunding a legal challenge to his mother’s lasting power of attorney.