Virginia Fiennes, 56; Joined Explorer Spouse on Adventure
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Virginia Fiennes, 56, wife of explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes and instigator of one of his greatest adventures, died Friday in London of unspecified causes.
Credited with giving her husband the idea of voyaging around the world and across both poles, she organized the 35,000-mile journey. Fiennes traveled with her husband and a small team over the land and water route, which required three years to complete. Dangers they encountered ranged from desert sunburn to a polar bear attack.
Queen Elizabeth II awarded Virginia Fiennes the Polar Medal in 1987.
She was the first woman to receive the honor.
When she wasn’t traveling, Fiennes bred pedigree Aberdeen Angus cattle and black Welsh mountain sheep on the couple’s farm in southwest England.
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