Madeleine McCann disappeared in May 2017, nine days before her fourth birthday, while she was on holiday in Portugal with her parents Kate and Gerry McCann and siblings Sean and Amelie. This month’s Netflix documentary, “The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann”, has reignited interest in the unsolved case,despite the eight-part series having been made without the support of the McCann family. Kate McCann wrote her own account in 2011, titled “Madeleine: Our daughter’s disappearance and the continuing search for her”.

In her book, Kate shares how the family have kept birthday presents over the years for Madeleine, and still keep her bedroom ready for her return. 

She writes:  “Monday, May 12, 2008, was Madeleine’s fifth birthday.

“As we’ve continued to do since, we had a tea party at home, with balloons cake, cards, and presents.

“The presents go into Madeleine’s room to await her return.

“Her pink bedroom remains exactly as it was when she left it but it’s a lot busier now.”

Kate continues: “There are gifts people have sent – from teddy bears to rosary beads – and photographs and pictures Sean and Amelie have drawn for her pinned on the walls.

“She also has a keepsake box in which the twins leave little things for her: the last sweet in their packet, a new drawing, sometimes just a leaf that has taken their fancy! 

“Everyone sits in there from time to time to feel close to her. 

“The children sometimes borrow toys to play with for a while but they always return them for Madeleine.”

Since the book’s release, the family have kept up the tradition. 

Last year, to celebrate Madeleine’s 15th birthday, the family left presents for their teenage daughter, alongside the gifts for her they have accumulated over the last decade.

Speaking to The Daily Mirror, Madeleine’s great-uncle Brian Kennedy said: “It would be lovely to have a celebration one day. We never lose hope.”

In the 2017 television interview to mark ten years since Madeleine’s disappearance, Kate commented: “I do all the present buying. I think about what age she is and buy something that, whenever we find her, will still be appropriate so there’s a lot of thought that goes into it.”

In her memoir, Kate also writes about the words from Madeleine on the day before her disappearance that continue to  “haunt” her. 

Kate writes about how Madeleine asked her: “Why didn’t you come when Sean and I cried last night?”

She continues: “We were puzzled. Did she mean when they were having their bath? Or just after they’d gone to bed?

“Madeleine didn’t answer or elaborate.

“Not for a moment did we think there might be some sinister reason for this occurrence, if indeed anything had occurred. 

“If only foresight came as early to us as hindsight

“Within hours, the explanation for this would seem hugely important, and so haunted have I been ever since by Madeleine’s words that morning that I’ve continued to blame myself for not sitting down and making completely certain there was no more information I could draw out of her.

“This could have been my one chance to prevent what was about to happen, and I blew it.”

The McCann family did not support the recent Netflix series, and released a statement that read: “We did not see – and still do not see – how this programme will help the search for Madeleine and, particularly given there is an active police investigation, it could potentially hinder it.

“Consequently, our views and preferences are not reflected in the programme.” 

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