Pop superstar Madonna, 54, is said to have touched down in Malawi, the African country where she adopted her two youngest children David, seven, and Mercy, who is eight. Although no visit was announced by the singer's team, local airport workers said Madonna's private jet landed in the country's capital, Lilongwe, early on Monday. And staff at her favourite hotel, Kumbali Lodge, said the residence had been prepared for a special visit. "All the guests who had checked into the lodge were asked to check out on Thursday and we are not checking in any new guests now," an insider said.
It will be the first time in two years that Madonna has returned to Malawi. The singer vowed to go back "every two or three years" so her adopted children could feel connected to their roots and visit relatives in their homeland. Mercy's uncle Peter Baneti said: "No one told me anything about Madonna's visit. I hope she has brought Mercy, we desperately want to be reunited with her." Madonna adopted David Banda from the Home of Hope orphanage in 2006. Three years later, she won custody of her daughter Mercy James after an initial ruling blocking the adoption was overturned in court. The duo now live with their mother in New York and are younger siblings to Lourdes Leon, Madonna's child from her relationship with trainer Carlos Leon, and Rocco Ritchie, from her marriage to ex-husband Guy.
Madonna and her family now travel the world together as the superstar takes care of her various artistic and business interests. The singer's dancer boyfriend Brahim Zaibat often accompanies the Ciccone clan. After carving out a career spanning three decades, Madonna recently took her global superstardom up a notch, topping the Billboard chart's list of highest earning musicians. Her most recent tour, named MDNA, saw the singer take home healthy profits of £26.1million in 2012.