Madeleine McCann's parents have shared a poignant message to mark their missing daughter's 21st birthday.
In an emotional post shared on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page, Kate and Gerry penned: "Happy 21st birthday Madeleine. Still missing, still missed, still looking."
© Getty ImagesAlongside the message, the couple included an image of Madeleine smiling in a sunhat.
Madeleine went missing back on 3 May 2007, aged three, after she was taken from her family's apartment in Praia de Luz in Portugal. There have been extensive police investigations into her disappearance ever since.
© Getty ImagesOn the 17th anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance, Kate and Gerry issued a statement which read: "It's 17 years since Madeleine was taken from us. It's hard to even say that number without shaking our heads in disbelief.
"Whilst we are fortunate in many ways and able to live a relatively normal and enjoyable life now, the 'living in limbo' is still very unsettling. And the absence still aches."
© Getty ImagesThe McCanns added: "Your support continues to encourage us and bolsters our strength to keep going. We know the love and hope for Madeleine and the will to find her, even after so many years, remains, and we are truly thankful for that.
"Thank you again for remembering Madeleine and all missing children."
According to GB News, Kate and Gerry were absent at a prayer vigil held for their daughter at a local parish church.
© Getty ImagesHowever, 22-year-old Julia Wendell, who gained prominence on social media in 2023 after she claimed to be Madeleine, reportedly travelled from Poland to attend the vigil in the hopes of speaking with the McCann family.
Julia publicly raised concerns over her identity after making a stream of videos claiming that she believed that she could be Madeleine McCann after hearing an unusual comment from her grandmother, and sharing the same recognisable eye fleck.
Her family dismissed the claim, issuing a statement via a Polish Missing Persons charity, Zaginieni przed laty. Translated into English, the statement read: "For us as a family it is obvious that Julia is our daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin and step-niece.
"We have memories, we have pictures. Julia also has these photos, because she took them from the family home with the birth certificate, as well as numerous hospital discharges."
DNA tests later confirmed that Julia is from Poland with Lithuanian and Romanian heritage and that she is the biological daughter of her mother.
