Madeleine McCann's parents' heartbreaking tradition to keep hope alive

Today marks 18 years since the disappearance of , and heartbroken parents and have kept up a heartbreaking tradition each year.

Madeleine was three when she disappeared on a family holiday in Portugal in 2007 while her parents were out for dinner in a nearby restaurant, and ever since she went missing, haven't stopped looking for her.

She would now be 21 this year, and Gerry and Kate have continuously campaigned for their daughter. has spent more than £13million to date on her investigation, known as Operation Grange. Despite it being nearly two decades, the parents have always made sure to keep their daughter around.

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As the McCann family continue to grieve the loss of their young girl and mum Kate still makes sure to mark her birthdays and . In 2017, on the tenth anniversary of her abduction, Kate shared how she still buys presents for her missing daughter. She shared: "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 goes into it." The heartbroken mother also described Madeleine's birthday as a "difficult time" because that's when she really feels her absence.

In her book, Kate detailed how the family hold sweet birthday tea parties and fill her room with gifts, as they continue to hold out hope for her return. She wrote: "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. 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 added: "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."

Last year, the prime suspect in her disappearance was unrelated to Maddie's case. Convicted paedophile was and exposing himself to children in the Algarve but he was sensationally cleared after a lengthy trial.

Brueckner is currently serving a for raping a pensioner in Portugal in 2005 - and now he could be walking free again in just another year. Police working on Maddie's disappearance have to bring charges against their suspect before he is released. He denies any involvement.

An earlier version of this story was published in October 2024.