Ranulph Fiennes’ friend of 50 years fears he will never see him ever again as concerns grow around the explorer’s wellbeing.
The UK’s most daring explorer has not been seen publicly in around two years, with friends and family calling for an investigation into his care arrangements. Earlier this year, a care watchdog said Sir Ranulph had been deprived of his liberty unlawfully, The Telegraph reported.
Anton Bowring, a longtime friend and business partner of the 82-year-old, told The Independent he worries he may never see him again and said he feels sad for Sir Ranulph’s “huge network” of friends.
After expressing doubts that he will see his friend again, Mr Bowring said: “I'm ready for that. It's really sad, but I'm actually sad for my whole family, and of course for all his friends… he's got loads of godchildren, he's got a big wider family and a huge network of friends of people that he did expeditions with and he was in the army with.”
Sir Ranulph, who has Parkinson’s disease, was moved to care homes in Wales and Cheshire in the past year under an assumed identity, but his current whereabouts are unknown, The Telegraph has reported.
The Daily Mail reported on Monday that the explorer had returned to his home in Shropshire, a farm which they claimed was hidden behind a six foot security gate. Two modular homes - one for Sir Ranulph and the other for his carer - had been assembled near the main residence last week, the paper reported.
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.
“There was a time when I was very upset by it, and I thought, how shocking that I’ve known him for 50 years and yet one’s been short of shoved out of the way,” the 76-year-old added, before expressing that now his priority was making sure his old friend was okay.
“I'm very keen to know where he is. I'm very keen to know that whoever's got him is looking after him well, and I'm very keen to know that he's reasonably happy or as happy as he can be, and I'm particularly keen that where he says ‘I want this’ or ‘I want that, I want to do this, I want to do that,’ his wishes are being properly respected and fulfilled.”
Cheshire Police issued a statement on Monday in response to concerns raised about the explorer’s wellbeing and said no immediate safeguarding concerns had been identified.
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.
“Any new information received will be assessed and considered through the appropriate multi-agency arrangements.
“As this is a matter involving an individual's care and welfare, it would not be appropriate to comment further on personal circumstances. We would ask that privacy is respected and unnecessary speculation is avoided.”
Mr Bowring said that the last time he saw Sir Ranulph was September 2024 when he was giving a lecture in Norwich.
“He was fine. We enjoyed seeing him here. The lecture was fine,” he said. “He's just hilariously funny, very understated, very self-deprecating, while telling the most crazy stories about his exploits. He was brilliant, he always had the audience in hoops of laughter, and he was adored.”
Following this, all communications went through Sir Ranulph’s wife, Louise Millington Cotes, who Mr Bowring said called him often. He added that the last time he spoke with Sir Ranulph was before Christmas in 2024.
He said he’d felt worried about how Sir Ranulph’s life was split between his public life, with his friends and work, and his home life.
“The whole way through I was always worried, because his life was in two parts,” he said. “There was a public life... there was a life away from home when he was with his friends, doing lectures at his office, generally out and about, and then there was the other life which was him at home. They didn't mix at all.”
Mr Bowring had contacted King Charles, a patron and friend of Sir Ranulph’s, in February to inform him of the explorer’s poor state. He told The Independent that he spoke to the King’s equerry and put him in touch with Ms Millington Cotes, who he said responded angrily.
As family and friends remain concerned about Sir Ranulph, Mr Bowring said he hoped that even if they were unable to find out what was going on with the explorer, this put a spotlight on how elderly people are looked after.
“I love the thought that amongst all the things he's done, raising money for charities, £20 million he raised for charities on his expeditions, he inspired many young people to, to achieve their goals, you know, through his lectures and his books and things like that.
“He's done fantastic things at the Royal Geographical Society, there's now a big grant in his and Ginny's name which supports people going on expeditions,” he added. “One other tag on the legacy, is that he helped to transform the way old people are looked after in our society, and that they have a respected and dignified old age.”
