Sir Ranulph Fiennes’s stepson, Alex Millington-Cotes, has called for legal action and an inquiry into the explorer’s welfare, alleging that Fiennes’s second wife, Louise, has exerted controlling influence over him for more than two decades. The allegations follow reports that the 82-year-old, who has Parkinson’s disease and has not appeared publicly for over two years, was moved between care homes under a false name and unlawfully deprived of his liberty.

Millington-Cotes says he last saw Fiennes in late 2024 and last spoke to him 18 months ago, and is raising funds to establish whether he can freely leave his care setting and see people of his choice. Friends and a business associate reportedly described similar concerns, while Shadow Health and Care Secretary Damian Hinds called for possible failings by the Office of the Public Guardian to be investigated. Fiennes, a former SAS soldier, is renowned for reaching both Poles on foot, crossing Antarctica and climbing Everest aged 65.