2017 marked the 10th anniversary since Madeleine McCann disappeared from an apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal, this month Madeleine’s twin siblings turned 13 years-old, and their only wish is for Madeleine to return home.
Kate and Gerry McCann threw a joint birthday party for Maddie’s younger siblings, Sean and Amelie, to celebrate reaching the teenage milestone but nothing could fill the void of their missing big sister.
A guest told the Sun, “There will be prayers to remember Madeleine as well wherever she is. Kate and Gerry want to give the twins a memorable occasion, they’re teenagers now and that’s a big deal.”
Kate and Gerry have been struggling to create an environment where the twins can grow up “as normal as possible”.
Gerry and Kate McCann plays with their twins Amelie and Sean in their apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal 19 May 2007.
In the past decade, there have been many theories and false leads in the search for Madeleine, who was three at the time of her disappearance, but what actually happened to the little girl still remains a mystery.
Heartbreakingly, Kate has previously revealed she still buys birthday and Christmas presents for Madeleine.
“I obviously have to think about what age she is and something that, whenever we find her, will still be appropriate. so there’s a lot of thought goes into it.
“But I couldn’t not, you know; she’s still our daughter, she’ll always be our daughter,” she told BBC’s Fiona Bruce.
Despite growing up without her, Amelie and Sean are painfully aware of their sister’s disappearance.
Speaking to The Sun in 2015, Mum Kate said Amelie and Sean, then 11, still remember Maddie and talk about her often.
“The twins are doing really well.”
“They’ve grown up essentially without Madeleine, knowing their sister is missing and they want her back.”
“They are up to date, they know everything, they know if we are meeting police.”
“There is nothing kept from them.”
