Story perspectives

Family Urges Urgent Probe After Fiennes Missing Report

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 9:59 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Sir Ranulph Fiennes, 82, is reported missing, prompting family and friends to demand an investigation.
His wife Louise Millington-Cotes allegedly moved him between Welsh and Cheshire care homes using false names.
A Welsh care-sector watchdog concluded in early 2026 that he was unlawfully deprived of liberty.
Family and friends, including Bear Grylls, urged the Office of the Public Guardian and police to launch an urgent inquiry.

History

Historical Context

The Care Standards Act, passed in 2000 and brought into force in April 2002, overhauled inspection and regulation of residential care, creating the National Care Standards Commission and expanding the Children’s Commissioner for Wales. Its emphasis on protecting residents’ freedoms now underpins calls for a public-guardian inquiry into Sir Ranulph Fiennes’s disappearance, echoed by Bear Grylls.

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Story summary

Sir Ranulph Fiennes, 82, is reported missing, prompting family and friends to demand an investigation.
His wife Louise Millington-Cotes allegedly moved him between Welsh and Cheshire care homes using false names.
A Welsh care-sector watchdog concluded in early 2026 that he was unlawfully deprived of liberty.
Family and friends, including Bear Grylls, urged the Office of the Public Guardian and police to launch an urgent inquiry.

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