The parents of Madeleine McCann yesterday joined a prayer vigil to mark the poignant 19th anniversary of their daughter’s disappearance.
Kate and Gerry, accompanied by their twins, were warmly welcomed by supporters and well-wishers for the informal outdoor gathering in their home village of Rothley, Leicestershire.
It is the first time that the couple have been pictured in public with both Sean and Amelie, now aged 21.
Kate and Gerry vowed in a statement posted online: ‘The search goes on to find her, to achieve some justice, to make the world that bit safer.’
At moments the couple looked pained as prayers were said for Maddie, who vanished during a family holiday to Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
She had been left sleeping alone with her younger twin siblings while her parents were dining with friends in a nearby tapas restaurant.
Renowned heart doctor Gerry, 57, and former GP turned medical worker Kate, 58, cling onto a glimmer of hope that their daughter, who would now be nearly 23-years-old, could still be alive.
Neither Kate nor Gerry – both wearing dark casual trousers with puffer jackets and trainers – addressed the 50-strong crowd.
But Sean, a talented swimmer who hopes to represent Great Britain in the 2028 Olympics, and university student Amelie lit candles in memory of their sister at the war memorial at Cross Green.
Kate and Gerry McCann were warmly welcomed by supporters and well-wishers for the informal outdoor gathering in their home village of Rothley, Leicestershire
It is the first time that the couple have been pictured in public with both Sean and Amelie, now aged 21
Maddie vanished during a family holiday to Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007
Kate’s uncle Brian Kennedy, a retired school head teacher, read The Beacon by Simon Armitage. The poem was written for the McCanns by the now Poet Laureate.
The Reverend Rob Gladstone, vicar of Rothley Parish Church, told the crowd: ‘We gather today to pray for Madeleine and other missing children, to encourage one another and especially Gerry and Kate to keep up our hope and pray for a renewal of strength even after nineteen years.’
Villager Michelle Canilleri joined supporters reading mantras including ‘never give up’, ‘don’t forget about me’ and ‘still missing, still missed’.
She later said: ‘I really feel for the family. They still have no closure and peace after all these years.’
Michelle added: ‘There is a lot of support for them here.’
After the brief 20-minute service Kate was seen smiling as she hugged and chatted to locals.
The family of four later walked away from the event to their nearby home.
In a new post on social media Kate and Gerry wrote: ‘Nineteen years. The search goes on to find our Madeleine, to achieve some justice, to make the world that bit safer.’
They added on the official Find Madeleine Facebook page: ‘We remain very grateful for all our support – from friends and family, people we know and those we don’t – and from the police and authorities for their continued determination and effort. Thank you.
‘For Madeleine, who we love and miss every day, we will never give up. Kate, Gerry and family.’
Amelie was seen at the memorial event, held in the McCanns’ home town of Rothley
The family of four later walked away from the event to their nearby home
The vigil comes six months after a Polish woman was given a jail sentence for harassing the McCanns.
Julia Wandelt, who repeatedly claimed to be Madeleine, was found guilty of harassing the family but cleared of a more serious charge of stalking in November last year.
The vicar, in addressing the crowd, had mentioned that Kate and Gerry had been tormented by ‘someone pretending to be Madeleine’ and had ‘been dragged through the courts’.
Wandelt, 24, and her supporter Karen Spragg, 61 – who was acquitted of all charges – were accused of mounting a ‘campaign of harassment’ against the family, which in Wandelt’s case lasted for more than two years.
Wandelt, of Lubin, was sentenced to six months at Leicester Crown Court.
But she was freed to be deported to her native country having already served the term and been in custody since February 2025.
Kate, Gerry, Amelie and Maddie’s great-aunt Janet Kennedy had all given prosecution evidence in court but were shielded from public view.
The family had been smuggled in and out of the court premises away from the packed media and interested members of public.
After the conviction the McCanns said in a statement that despite the guilty verdict, they ‘take no pleasure in the result’.
They said they did not want to go through the court process, but a decision to prosecute was made by the Crown Prosecution Service based on the evidence gathered by the police.
Well-wishers came out to support the McCanns on the 19th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance
Julia Wandelt, who repeatedly claimed to be Madeleine, was found guilty of harassing the family but cleared of a more serious charge of stalking in November last year
They said: ‘We hope Ms Wandelt will receive the appropriate care and support she needs and any vulnerability will not be exploited by others.
‘If anyone has new evidence relating to Madeleine’s disappearance, please pass this on to the police.’
Kate and Gerry had shunned their daughter’s anniversary vigil in 2024 on advice from police during their alarming stalking and harassment ordeal.
Wandelt had bizarrely turned up at the event and demanded to see the couple to hand deliver a letter and became distressed to learn they were absent.
Maddie’s disappearance remains one of the world’s biggest ever missing person inquiries. Her abductor has, so far, evaded justice.
British Police searching for her have been given new funding to continue their painstaking hunt.
The welcome boost for Kate and Gerry comes after they said they were hoping for ‘positive news’ and a ‘breakthrough we long for’ this year.
The Government has approved a fresh request from Scotland Yard for a cash boost this financial year to keep their 15-year-old investigation codenamed Operation Grange going.
It has so far cost the taxpayer around £13.5million.
A Home Office spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘Ministers have approved a request from the Metropolitan Police Service to provide up to £86,000 for Operation Grange in 2026-27.
‘The MPS request was considered, as usual, in line with our Special Grant process which is approved on an annual basis.’
But the sum granted has been cut and is £22,000 less than the previous year under Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.
British Police searching for Maddie have been given new funding to continue their painstaking hunt
Kate and Gerry held up an image of what Madeleine might look like as an older girl at a press conference in London in May 2012
Christian Brueckner, released from prison last year, remains a suspect in Maddie’s disappearance
German police are convinced that she is dead and have been intent on charging prime suspect, convicted rapist Christian Brueckner with her kidnap and ‘no body’ murder.
Scotland Yard are still treating her case as a missing persons inquiry.
At New Year, Kate and Gerry sent best wishes and thanked the police and public for their continued support.
They said: ‘May 2026 bring us the breakthrough we long for.
‘We wanted to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us, in whatever way, and for continuing to hope for positive news of Madeleine.’
