Family concern over Sir Ranulph Fiennes’s wellbeing
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
The Claire Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance.
Why can’t Ranulph Fiennes’s family and friends contact or visit him?
Well, the family and friends of the renowned British explorer Ranulph Fiennes have said they haven't been able to visit or contact him for months. The British king, Charles, has even tried to check on Ranulph Fiennes' well-being, but was apparently blocked from doing so by the explorer's wife in recent days. His son, Alex Millington-Coates, said he wanted power of attorney taken from his own mother.
He's not an isolated type of person, and so to see him isolated now is very painful. So I'd like to see the power of attorney be, it's hard to say, but removed from my own mother and placed with one or really several people, I suppose, who have fully his best interests in mind.
And Ranulph Fiennes' former sister-in-law, Arabella Pepper, spoke to the BBC.
We don't know where he is at the moment, and... Nobody is able to go and visit him. I managed to see him for an hour last year in July and a few other people have seen him briefly around last year. The first thing I said to him, apart from the usual greetings, was that everybody was worried about him, was looking for him, longing to see him. And there had been since October 24. And the relief on his face was very obvious. And he said... send a message to everybody. Send them my love. Tell them I love them and tell them I'm longing to see them. All his friends and family want to see him and take him to Oberon's and cheer him up. But we don't know where he is.
What is known about Ranulph Fiennes’s health and King Charles’s concern?
Well, joining me now is senior reporter with the Daily Mail, Nick Pisa. Nick, this is an extraordinary story. What we do know about Ranulph Fiennes, the renowned explorer, is that he's 82 years old. He has Parkinson's disease and other health conditions. So he's not well, is he?
No, no, that's right. Good morning to you and to your listeners. Yeah, absolutely. And a man with such an esteemed reputation as well, a friend of the king as well. I missed the introduction there because the line went down, but I don't know if you're aware that King Charles himself as well expressed an interest to see how he was doing. We understand an equerry tried to contact an intermediary as well to see how how Sir Ranulph Fiennes was doing, but the equerry was given the rush off. So, I mean, you can see he's a man of quite high regard as well, having the king as his friend. But I mean, also his family are very concerned. You spoke there, I've spoken to her as well. That's his sister-in-law for his first wife, Arabella.
She lives out in Romania. And yesterday I spoke to his stepson, Alex, who's also very concerned about him as well. And there's another friend called Michael Cobbold, a fellow explorer who climbed Mount Everest with him in, I think it was 20-odd years ago, around about 2004, 2005. He's also very concerned. And I had quite an interesting conversation with Mr Cobbold yesterday who said to me that he had just discovered that he thinks or he believes that
Could Ranulph Fiennes be back at his family farm, and who is caring for him?
that um that Sir Ranulph Fiennes is now actually back on the family farm but nothing is confirmed and he he did share with me some video actually which was the first time we've seen him in a long time of Sir Ranulph Fiennes uh pushing a stroller in the stables of his cottage on the shropshire cheshire borders and i spoke to his stepson alex and who confirmed to me that yes he recognized the interior as being the stable at the house at the farm there so we think he is possibly back there but obviously uh his wife his second wife Lady Fiennes Louise Millington-Coates is is not uh engaging with the media
and that farm his home it's it's inaccessible isn't it to to people who might want to make a check on him because there is as you describe it in the piece a six foot gate
that's right that's right yes we we understand from speaking to various sources that uh that that fence was put up quite recently or that uh Yeah, that six-foot fence was put up quite recently, obviously, presumably to keep away prying eyes. But we understand, or I understand from speaking to his friend, Mr. Cobbold, that his carer is with him there.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:01–0:10
2
Why can’t Ranulph Fiennes’s family and friends contact or visit him?
0:10–1:51
3
What is known about Ranulph Fiennes’s health and King Charles’s concern?
1:51–3:13
4
Could Ranulph Fiennes be back at his family farm, and who is caring for him?
3:13–4:51
5
Why are Fiennes’s family members worried about access and power of attorney?
4:51–5:59
6
What have Cheshire police said about safeguarding concerns for Ranulph Fiennes?
5:59–6:45
7
Were family visits restricted by NDAs, and why does Alex want shared guardianship?
6:45–8:03
8
What could happen next in efforts to check on Ranulph Fiennes’s wellbeing?
8:03–9:28