UK4 min(s) read
There has been concern for Sir Ranulph Fiennes, widely regarded as the "world's greatest living explorer," as he has not been seen in two years.
Alexander Millington-Cotes, 31, is seeking lawyers who can help "locate and safeguard" his stepdad, who has Parkinson's disease and has not been seen in public for more than two years.
Millington-Cotes' estranged mother, Louise, who is Fiennes' second wife, has lasting power of attorney in relation to his care. Her son now wants that arrangement revoked.
Millington-Cotes has set up a fundraiser and aims to raise £55,000 ($72,000) for "specialist legal representation and advice," court fees, and the cost of "determining [Fiennes’] exact location, to be shared with the relevant authorities," per The Guardian.
Addressing supporters, he said: "Ran has spent his entire life pushing boundaries for others and representing the best of human endurance. Now, he needs us to fight for him."
It is understood that Louise, 59, has placed him in a succession of care homes where he has not been allowed to receive visitors.
According to the Telegraph, Fiennes had previously spent time in a care home in Wales under a pseudonym.
The outlet reported that a watchdog later concluded that his living arrangements deprived him of liberty because his wife failed to ensure adequate legal safeguards were in place.
In addition to this, they added that the explorer spent time in another care home in London, where visitors were apparently asked to sign non-disclosure agreements by Louise.
Millington-Cotes said that after his relationship with his mother broke down, he was forced to visit his stepfather in secret.
"Since being asked to leave the family home and not come back, I can only imagine the amplification of Ran’s difficulties and isolation," he said. "His isolation would consist of being effectively annexed in the other end of the house, with relatively minimal contact."
"I remember him gleaming the occasional times I would appear unannounced with some sweet treats, which I’d had to haul with me as I climbed over the seven-foot industrial entrance gate," he added.
He said the last time he saw his stepdad was "when he whisked me away while I was walking up the drive on one of my infrequent visits, sadly neither him or I realized that it may be the last time we’d see and hug one another".
"This is the moment he told me he was proud of me, a sweet moment in my memory," he added.
Fiennes married Louise in 2005, a year after the death from cancer of his first wife, Ginny, to whom he had been married for 34 years.
Louise gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, in 2006. She is Fiennes' only biological child.
Millington-Cotes described his stepfather as "a man of immense heart, kindness, and selflessness who supported me for years," and said his strained relationship with his mom had caused him "great pain and distress".
He said his concerns intensified after hearing from other friends and family that Fiennes was considered missing.
"Upon learning from other friends and family that Ran was considered missing, I put aside my own pain and immediately felt anger," he said. "Anger that similar experiences I’d had were now being cast on to Ran. A man for as long as I could remember was completely selfless, kind and abided by an excellent moral code."
Millington-Cotes revealed that he had visited many care homes hoping to find Fiennes "to have a simple conversation with him, or to be able to take him for a brief coffee," but had so far been unsuccessful and had "left with a feeling of dismay and a slightly emptier heart".
Any money raised beyond what is needed for the legal action will be donated to Marie Curie and the British Heart Foundation, which Millington-Cotes says are favoured charities of Fiennes.
