Sir Ranulph Fiennes Drew Up Secret Will on Everest Trek After Wife Vetoed Divorce Plan, Friend Claims

Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the renowned explorer, created a secret will by hand in his tent at Everest base camp in May 2008, according to claims by his long-time friend Michael Kobold. The document was written the night before an attempted, ultimately unsuccessful, ascent of the 29,000-foot summit. Kobold, who has possessed the sealed will since then, stated that Fiennes instructed him to open it only in the event of his death.

Kobold, a German watch entrepreneur, told The Mail on Sunday that two months prior to the Everest trek, Sir Ranulph had decided to divorce his second wife, Louise Millington-Cotes. Sir Ranulph had even asked Kobold to find a law firm and a public relations expert to manage the divorce proceedings. However, it is claimed that Mrs. Millington-Cotes discovered this plan, leading to a "much deflated" Sir Ranulph abandoning his divorce intentions after she confronted him at their farm.

"I don't know what's in the will and I promised Ran I wouldn't open it until he died," Kobold said. "I get emotional thinking about it because it was a difficult time for all of us. Ran was not happy with the situation."

Kobold described the period as "probably the darkest time, up until then, because he felt trapped." He was present when Fiennes wrote and signed the will by hand in his tent.

These claims surface amid considerable speculation about the whereabouts of the 82-year-old explorer, who has Parkinson's disease and was last seen publicly two years ago. Friends have alleged that Mrs. Millington-Cotes has moved him between various care homes in London, Wales, and Cheshire, reportedly under an alias, to prevent them from seeing him. At one London facility, visitors allegedly had to sign non-disclosure agreements. In a Welsh care home, where he was registered as Robert Millington, instructions were allegedly given for him not to socialize with other residents.

Following public outcry and calls for investigations by the police and the Office of the Public Guardian, Sir Ranulph is now believed to be at his isolated farm in Shropshire. Kobold, who is reportedly publishing a book about Fiennes's disappearance, spent several weeks with the couple in 2008 and described Mrs. Millington-Cotes's treatment of Sir Ranulph as appalling.

"Louise subjected Ran to a ceaseless barrage of attacks, always humiliating him in front of me and other people. It was heartbreaking," Kobold recounted. He also detailed an incident where Mrs. Millington-Cotes allegedly took Sir Ranulph's passport and locked him out of their home in Cheshire, resulting in an injury as he attempted to climb back in through a bathroom window.

Kobold claims he persuaded Sir Ranulph to proceed with the divorce, offering to manage the arrangements. He met with a London law firm and spoke to a PR specialist, as Sir Ranulph feared the divorce could become acrimonious. The plan was to discuss the matter at Fiennes's office on his Exmoor farm, but Mrs. Millington-Cotes reportedly intervened, speaking with her husband alone and causing him to abandon the divorce plans.

Days later, with a new passport arranged by Kobold, Sir Ranulph departed for Nepal. Kobold, joining him at base camp, had previously seen a copy of Fiennes's will. The reason for Fiennes creating a new will on the eve of his climb remains unclear to Kobold, who recalls Fiennes writing and signing the document in his tent and then handing it to him.

The legal standing of this will is uncertain, as English law typically requires two witnesses for a valid will. Kobold stated he might have signed the document but has no recollection of doing so. Sir Ranulph, then 65, did not reach the summit of Everest due to exhaustion but achieved the feat the following year, becoming the oldest Briton to do so at the time. Mrs. Millington-Cotes has been approached for comment.