Ranulph Fiennes’ friend fears ‘we won’t see him again ever’

Another friend of Sir Ranulph Fiennes has said he fears that he won’t ever see the explorer again amid concerns about his declining health and isolation.

Several friends and relatives of the famous explorer have raised concerns over his welfare after it emerged the 82-year-old had not been seen publicly in two years.

Sir Ranulph is believed to now be living at his remote Shropshire farmhouse after speculation mounted that he had spent over a year living in different care homes under fake names.

Described by The Guinness Book of Records as “the world’s greatest living explorer”, he was in 2019 diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, with his wife Louise Millington-Coates holding the role of his sole attorney for health and welfare.

In recent weeks, she has been accused of isolating him from friends and family and moving him to several establishments in London, Cheshire and Wales under pseudonyms and refusing to divulge information about his whereabouts.

Though reports suggest he is now back at home, explorer and Sir Ranulph’s expedition photographer Martin Hartley told ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday that he worries he will not see his friend again.

"I am representing a community of explorers and adventurers that want to see Ran, want to see him happy”, he told the programme.

“The Royal Geographical Society (RGS) is having their 50th anniversary of their explore event, where all the adventurers and the next generation of caretakers of the planet descend on the RGS, and they want to see Ran," he added.

Mr Hartley added that it is “impossible to get any communication” to his friend, claiming that even birthday cards get returned.

He later said: “My biggest fear is that we won’t see him again ever. Even allowing for that, he’s still fighting for the expedition world in a way that no one else can or has done in the past.

“There’s an award in the RGS now in the name of Ginny [Sir Ranulph’s first wife] and Ran Fiennes award, so even though he is isolated, he is still helping the community with those grants.”

Cheshire Police have said they are aware of the concerns regarding Sir Ranulph, and are satisfied he is living in an appropriate setting with suitable care.

They said there were “no immediate safeguarding concerns”.

Famous friends of Sir Ranulph, including Bear Grylls, Ben Fogle, Joanna Lumley, John Simpson and Monty Don have spoken out about the situation in recent weeks, with growing calls for an investigation into his wellbeing by both the police and the Office of the Public Guardian.

Anton Bowring, a longtime friend and business partner of the 82-year-old, last month told The Independent he worries he may never see him again and said he feels sad for Sir Ranulph’s “huge network” of friends.

During a stay at KYN Hurlingham in west London in July last year, he was visited by his former sister-in-law Arabella Pepper and his cousin, the actor Joseph Fiennes, after they tracked down his location.

He was moved a short while afterwards, and his friends have been unable to make contact.

The Times has reported earlier this week that Sir Ranulph is believed to have returned to his home in Shropshire, accompanied by his wife, with the newspaper stating that they had seen footage showing the adventurer walking with a frame around the property.

His stepson, Alexander Millington-Coates, confirmed that it showed the couple but it was not possible to establish when it was filmed.