There have been many strange twists and turns in the sensational search for legendary explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, but none more so than claims Queen Camilla ordered helicopters to fly over the farm he shares with his wife.
Louise Fiennes, nee Millington-Cotes, who married Sir Ranulph in 2005, allegedly told friends that King Charles “hated” her husband and that Camilla sent helicopters over their property to irritate and intimidate her.
These outlandish allegations emerged when it was revealed Louise, who is Sir Ranulph’s second wife, reportedly told the palace to “back off” after King Charles reached out to check on his welfare. The monarch and Sir Ranulph have been close friends for almost 50 years.
Charles is said to be among a string of famous friends, including Bear Grylls, Ben Fogle, Joanna Lumley and Joseph Fiennes – who is Sir Ranulph’s cousin – trying to locate the explorer, who hasn’t been seen in public for almost two years.
Worrying report
According to UK newspaper The Telegraph, the King was alerted to the explorer’s ill-health and isolation and was “most concerned” by what he’d been told via his equerry – a royal personal assistant.
He’d learned that friends and relatives had been attempting to contact and see Sir Ranulph, 82, for some time but that nearly all efforts had been unsuccessful.
Ranulph’s close friend and expedition leader, Anton Bowring, was among a small group who collectively approached The Telegraph earlier this year in the hope the newspaper might delve into what had happened to the famous adventurer.
“It’s the extraordinary final chapter in a remarkable life,” said Anton, who first met his friend in 1978. “I know he’s still out there, alive. But I’ve grieved for him. I’ve said goodbye.”
The explorer, who is revered in Britain as the first person to visit both the North and South Poles on foot, skis and dog sleds, and the first to cross Antarctica on foot, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019.
The newspaper published their findings last month, reporting concerns that Sir Ranulph was being unlawfully deprived of his liberty. There were extraordinary allegations that he’d been staying in a number of care homes under false names and that visitors had to sign non-disclosure agreements before seeing him.
Another of the adventurer’s close friends, German watchmaker Michael Kobold, tells Woman’s Day he had long been concerned about Sir Ranulph and soon discovered others felt the same.
“A lot of witnesses have come forward with stories of their own,” alleges Michael, who first met Sir Ranulph in 2000 and claims he is being “deprived of his liberty”.
Among those witnesses is Sir Ranulph’s late first wife Ginny’s sister Arabella McIntyre-Brown. Back in 2025, with friends and family increasingly concerned, Michael suggested Arabella attempt to check into Sir Ranulph’s care home.
Amazingly, the plan worked and in July Arabella crossed paths with the explorer, reportedly finding him “lucid – personality intact, memory clear, sense of humour there,” as she later told The Telegraph.
“He told her he didn’t want to be isolated, misses his friends and that he’s afraid to use the phone because he suspects his calls are being monitored,” Michael claims.
Safeguarding liberty
The owner of a Welsh care home where Sir Ranulph resided for a time reported their own concerns about the baronet’s wellbeing to authorities and the police.
They also wrote to the Office of the Public Guardian, which helps people stay in control of decisions about their health and finances, “to raise safeguarding concerns” about the explorer’s wife Louise’s lasting power of attorney over him.
A care inspectorate reportedly concluded earlier this year that Sir Ranulph was being deprived of his liberty unlawfully because his wife had failed to ensure the relevant legal protocols had been put in place. She was ordered to provide them but reportedly never did and moved her husband to a different home.
However, Cheshire Police have since reviewed the extraordinary claims and have stated they are aware of the concerns for Sir Ranulph but following their investigation are satisfied he’s living in an appropriate setting with suitable care.
Louise has not offered formal or public comment on the allegations.
Sir Ranulph’s stepson and Louise’s estranged son, Alexander Millington-Cotes, 31, meanwhile, is now spearheading the campaign to challenge his mother’s lasting power of attorney over Sir Ranulph, who has an estimated fortune of up to $20 million. He’s launched a crowdfunding campaign to cover the legal fees to “locate and safeguard” Sir Ranulph.
Alexander wants the explorer to live out his remaining days as he wishes with “complete freedom”.
“If he wants to fly to California, let him. If he wants us to go to the park and have a cup of coffee, that would also be brilliant.”
The beloved explorer’s current whereabouts are not known.
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