Ranulph Fiennes, Sir

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Biography

Described as the world's greatest living explorer, Sir Ranulph is able to create an extraordinary feeling of self confidence in an audience, explaining that the power to succeed in any walk of life exists within. He is also one of the most inspirational and interesting people on the planet.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes has single-handedly defined the modern-day explorer genre. His monumental list of exploits allows him to stand alone in terms of achievement. Consequently, his speech is hugely entertaining in that he has an abundance of amusing and astonishing anecdotes to relay to his audience. He also reveals a passion for life, the epitome of carpe diem, which infects and enlivens even the most resistant forces.

Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was born in 1944 and educated at Eton.  He served with the Royal Scots Greys for a time before joining the SAS.  In 1968 he joined the Army of the Sultan of Oman and in 1970 was awarded the Sultan's Bravery Medal.  In the same year he married his wife, Virginia.  (In 1987 Virginia was the first woman to be awarded the Polar Medal.)  Since 1969 when he led the British Expedition on the White Nile, Ranulph Fiennes has been at the forefront of many exploratory expeditions. 

Described in 1984 as the "World's Greatest Living Explorer" by the Guinness Book of Records, his expeditions around the world include: Transglobe (the first surface journey around the world's polar axis) during which Sir Ranulph and Charles Burton became the first people ever to reach both Poles by surface travel, North Polar Unsupported Expedition (furthest north unsupported record), Anglo Soviet North Pole Expedition, co-leader of the Ubar Expedition (which discovered Ptolemy's long-lost Atlantis of the Sands, the frankincense centre of the world); leader of the Pentland South Pole Expedition (which achieved the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic Continent and the longest unsupported polar journey in history). 

He has been awarded an honorary degree from Loughborough University, the University of Central England in Birmingham and the University of Portsmouth; and in 1997 The Royal Institute of Navigation awarded Sir Ranulph Honorary Membership.  In 2000 The Explorers Club, British Chapter, honoured Sir Ranulph with the Polar Exploration Millennium Award.

Sir Ranulph's expeditions have raised over £4.2m for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, (which has enabled the building of Europe's first MS research centre in Cambridge) and £1.9m for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.  In 1993 he was awarded an OBE for 'human endeavour and charitable services'.

Sir Ranulph’s first book was published in 1970 and since then he has written 12 further works including his autobiography Living Dangerously 1987, The Feather Men (UK Number One Bestseller 1991), Atlantis of the Sands 1992, Mind Over Matter (a harrowing account of his Antarctic expedition 1993), The Sett 1996, Fit For Life 1998, Beyond the Limits 2000 and The Secret Hunters 2001.  In October of this year his major new biography will be published on Captain Scott.

Also in October Sir Ranulph, with Dr Mike Stroud, is planning the Land Rover 7x7x7 Challenge.  This is an attempt to run 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents.  This, despite his having suffered a major heart attack and double bypass operation in June 2003

In 1995 Her Majesty the Queen was graciously pleased to award Sir Ranulph a second clasp to the Polar Medal that he already has, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in Polar exploration and, in particular, his attempts to reach the North Pole between 1988 and 1990 and his successful trek across Antarctica in 1992/93.  (No-one else has a double clasp medal each of which acknowledges both Arctic and Antarctic achievements.)

Ranulph Fiennes interview
Ranulph at The Outdoors Show