Explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes Held in Care Homes Without Legal Authorization, Wife Accused

Sir Ranulph Fiennes vanished from public events in 2024 and has since been confined to a series of care homes, first in London and later in Wales and Cheshire, where he was registered under an alias. His wife, Louise Millington-Cotes, dictated strict care conditions, including an unverified do-not-resuscitate directive, and did not obtain a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) order required by law. A Welsh care-home owner, alarmed by these practices, wrote to the Office of the Public Guardian and the Care Inspectorate of Wales, which determined in January that Fiennes was being unlawfully deprived of his liberty.

The owner warned the wife about the illegality, but she refused to apply for the necessary order. Friends and relatives, who have been excluded from visits, are debating legal challenges to her guardianship. The case underscores concerns about elder-care oversight and the enforcement of liberty safeguards.