King Charles was 'blocked from contacting Ranulph Fiennes' by his wife - as family try and locate explorer
The King's equerry contacted a friend of Sir Ranulph Fiennes to ask how his Majesty could get in touch
The King tried to check on explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes but was blocked from doing so by the explorer's wife as she kept him in care homes "illegally" for two years.
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King Charles, a friend of the explorer for decades, was "most concerned" when he heard of his declining health.
The King's equerry contacted a friend of Sir Ranulph to ask how his Majesty could get in touch.
The friend passed the King a phone number for Louise Millington-Cotes, Sir Ranulph's wife and legal guardian.
They said they were "thrilled" the King cared about him so much.
However, Ms Millington-Cotes was angry that the Palace had been given her details. She threatened the intermediary with a solicitor and the police - claiming they were causing her husband "immense distress" and told them to "back off".
Mr Bowring told The Telegraph: “He said the King was most concerned and would really like to write to Ran, Louise and their daughter Elizabeth to express his concern and see if there was anything he could do to help. He asked how he could communicate that to Ran, and asked if I had Louise’s phone number.
“He said ‘I can give her a ring and if it’s a no we can let the matter drop’.”
About an hour later, Mr Bowring received a text from Ms Millington-Cotes saying: “I’m going to be changing my phone number because of you!!! There is nothing further that we need you to help with. Thank you.”
Mr Bowring apologised, saying: “I really thought that Ran would be thrilled to know that the King cared about him ... the Palace will be completely discreet and not trouble you again if you don’t want them to. They were being kind and thoughtful... I am deeply saddened.”
Ms Millington-Cotes replied: “I’m contacting a solicitor and the police if you continue this! That was utterly inappropriate! You haven’t listened to anything I’ve explained to you about Ran’s feelings about his condition. You are causing him immense distress! Nobody else is??? Back off!!!”
Mr Bowring responded that “I don’t think there’s anything that a solicitor or the police could do about a close friend caring for his chum. All I want is to do my best for Ran. I wanted to help you. Sadly I’ve failed and a door has closed. Your anger is nothing compared to my sadness”.
Ms Millington-Cotes declined to put the King in touch with her husband, reports understand.
She also, reportedly, told friends that the King hated her husband, and alleged that Queen Camilla has helicopters fly over their property to annoy them.
LBC has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Sir Ranulph, 82, has not been seen in public for two years.
It comes as several of his friends and family members do not know Sir Ranulph's whereabouts, amid accusations that his wife has disregarded her duties as his legal guardian and gone to extreme lengths to keep him away from others.
Sir Ranulph, widely regarded as the world's "greatest living explorer" has undertaken several legendary exploits.
In the 1980s he became the first person to visit both the North and the South Pole on foot during the groundbreaking Transglobe Expedition, and he became the first person ever to completely cross Antarctica on footIn May 2009, at the age of 65, Sir Ranulph climbed to the summit of Mount Everest.
He has suffered various health scares over the years, including a heart attack in 2003 which led to him undergoing emergency bypass surgery.
In 2019, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease but did not reveal the diagnosis publicly until 2022.
Veteran BBC correspondent John Simpson, a close friend of the explorer, is among those who has called for more information about Sir Ranulph to be disclosed.
He wrote on X: “Horrified to hear what’s happened to my good friend Ran Fiennes.
“I’d like to tell the relevant authorities everything I know about the way he’s been treated. He’s the world’s bravest man, and he’s vulnerable. We must know what’s happening to him.”
Adventurers Bear Grylls and Ben Fogle have also joined the chorus expressing concerns for his welfare.
Grylls described Sir Ranulph as a “true British icon” and a “pioneer, a humble warrior and a good friend to so many of us”.
“He never failed to support me when I needed help. Now is our time. We have been desperately trying to connect with Ran for a year now to no avail.”
He said the reports of his isolation were “so deeply disturbing” and called for the Office for the Public Guardian (OPG) and police to “investigate urgently”.
Fogle has also called for the OPG to investigate the case, saying he is “deeply disturbed by stories concerning my friend."
“That such a great man, hero of mine and a national treasure, should be treated in this way, isolated and kept away from family and friends, is very troubling.”
The Telegraph reported that his step-son Alexander Millington-Cotes was contacting police in the locations where he thinks the explorer could be to take up the case, including Cheshire Constabulary and West Mercia Police, but with "no luck so far".
He is seeking to raise £55,000 towards legal fees required to "locate and safeguard" his beloved stepfather
Cheshire Constabulary, reportedly said it could “neither confirm nor deny” whether officers had visited the care home in Cheshire, and West Mercia Police did not respond to questions.
It was reported on Friday that the owner of one of the care homes where the retired adventurer was living raised concerns about his wellbeing to authorities and contacted the police.
Family have reportedly questioned a do not resuscitate document that she provided.
The newspaper reported that Mrs Millington-Cotes told one care home in Wales that her husband was “an ex-SAS man whose life might be in danger from extremists” and claimed staff at a previous care home had tried to kill him - which subsequently were found to have amounted to a deprivation of his liberty.
She also allegedly made visitors sign non-disclosure agreements before seeing him, and forced him to wear a hat, sunglasses and gloves in public to prevent anyone from recognising him.
Louise Millington-Cotes issued a request via the Independent Press Standards Organisation saying she did not want to be contacted.