Nearly two decades after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, her parents Kate and Gerry McCann continue to live with the uncertainty surrounding what happened to their daughter while also raising their two younger children, twins Sean and Amelie.

Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007, while the family was staying at a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. She was three years old at the time and was just days away from her fourth birthday. Despite years of searches and investigations across Portugal, Britain and Germany, Madeleine has never been found.

For Kate McCann, the years since that night have involved an extraordinary combination of public attention, continuing police investigations and family life away from the spotlight. Kate and Gerry have generally kept their children out of the public eye, while continuing to support the Find Madeleine campaign and maintain hope that the investigation could eventually provide answers.

The couple’s lives also changed as their twins, Sean and Amelie, grew up. The twins were only two years old when their older sister disappeared. They have since become adults and have largely pursued their own lives away from the intense media coverage that surrounded the family during the early years of the investigation.

One of the most recent public glimpses of the family came during the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Sean McCann, now 21, represented Scotland in swimming and reached the men’s 400-metre freestyle final. Kate and Gerry were in the stands alongside Amelie to support him during his Commonwealth debut. Sean ultimately finished eighth in the final after qualifying earlier in the day.

Sean, who studies chemical engineering at Loughborough University, has developed into a compeтιтive swimmer and has represented Scotland previously at the Commonwealth Youth Games. He has spoken about his ambition to eventually compete at the Olympic Games, describing the Commonwealth Games as an important step toward that goal. His sister Amelie has also pursued compeтιтive sport and has been involved in triathlon.

The appearance of Kate and Gerry supporting their son offered a rare recent look at the family together. While the McCanns have continued to live with the unresolved disappearance of Madeleine, their children’s achievements have provided another part of their family life away from the investigation.

Kate has also remained connected to the story of Madeleine through public statements and the family’s campaign. In May 2026, she and Gerry publicly criticized a Channel 5 drama focusing on Kate’s treatment as a suspect during the early stages of the investigation. The couple said they had not been involved in the production and had not given consent for the dramatization. They expressed concern about the effect of such programmes on their family, particularly during the month marking another anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance.

The programme, тιтled Under Suspicion: Kate McCann, revisited one of the most difficult periods of the investigation. Portuguese authorities made Kate and Gerry formal suspects, or arguidos, in September 2007. Their status was lifted in July 2008, and neither parent was charged with a crime in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance. The Channel 5 production said it was based on official documents, interview transcripts, court records and other publicly available material.

Meanwhile, the investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance remains active. British police have continued Operation Grange, working with authorities in Portugal and Germany. German investigators have identified Christian Brückner as a prime suspect in the case, although he has never been charged over Madeleine’s disappearance and has denied involvement.

For the McCann family, the case therefore remains an unresolved part of their lives. Kate and Gerry have watched Sean and Amelie grow from toddlers into young adults while continuing to face renewed attention whenever developments emerge in the investigation.

The family has experienced periods of intense media scrutiny, renewed searches and fresh theories, but the central question remains unchanged: what happened to Madeleine after she disappeared from the holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in 2007?

Almost 20 years later, that question still has no definitive public answer. Madeleine has not been found, and no one has been convicted in connection with her disappearance. For Kate and Gerry, life has continued around an absence that has never been resolved, while their family has grown and moved forward without ever forgetting the daughter and sister who disappeared as a three-year-old child.

Sources: LBC, The Guardian.