King Charles has been prevented from contacting one of his longtime friends whose health has been declining, according to a new report.
The monarch had tried to reach out to the renowned explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, whom he’s known for 45 years, after becoming “most concerned” about his wellbeing and ongoing isolation, but was allegedly blocked from making contact by Fiennes’ wife.
Sir Ranulph was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 and hasn’t been seen in public since late 2024.
According to The Telegraph UK, friends and family are increasingly worried about him following allegations that he is being “unlawfully deprived of his liberty” and illegally moved between care homes under false names by his wife, Louise Millington-Cotes, who is also his legal guardian.
The King and Sir Ranulph first met in 1982, when the then-prince served as the patron for the explorer’s historic Transglobe Expedition.
Anton Bowring, one of the members of that expedition, was the first to raise the alarm about Sir Ranulph’s current situation to the King, reportedly contacting the King’s private secretary early last year.
The Telegraph reports that Mr Bowring wrote that his friend was in a “very poor state”, prompting the King to reach out to Ms Millington-Coates.
However, Sir Ranulph’s wife was reportedly infuriated that the monarch had been given her number, and threatened the Palace with legal action and told them to “back off”, claiming they were causing her partner “immense distress”.
According to The Telegraph, she allegedly also told friends that the King hated her husband.
Sir Ranulph’s loved ones are now calling for an investigation into his current care arrangement, asking Britain’s Office of the Public Guardian to look into the situation.
The sad report surrounding the King’s friendship follows a dramatic few weeks for the royal family, with the publication of an explosive book about Princess Diana, written by her brother, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s unexpected return to the UK.
Among the most shocking allegations in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister was what Spencer described as “monstrous” behaviour from the King, who was then Prince Charles, following Diana’s death.
Spencer wrote that his former royal brother-in-law had told him “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough” during a heated phone conversation after Diana was killed in a car accident in 1997.
He also alleged that his former brother-in-law had sounded “giddily elated” by the event of her passing, and speculated that he had felt there was now an easier pathway to him being with Camilla Parker-Bowles.