It has been 17 years since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, a British girl who vanished while on holiday with her parents in Parai da Luz, Portugal.

Gerry and Kate McCann are acknowledging a very sad day with an incredibly hopeful message. If you’re unfamiliar with their tragic story, the McCanns are parents of three — their eldest daughter Madeleine and their younger twins Sean and Amelie.

Kate and Gerry McCann skipped a prayer vigil to mark the 17th anniversary of Madeleine McCann's disappearance. Madeleine, from Rothley in Leicestershire, was just three when she went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal on 3 May 2007. Kate and Gerry were said to be away at a secret location on a 'much-needed' long weekend break.

The parents of Madeleine McCann did not attend a prayer vigil marking the 17 th anniversary of her disappearance last night – but a Polish woman who insists she is the missing Brit bizarrely did. Kate and Gerry McCann were said by a family member to be away at an undisclosed location on a ‘much needed’ break.

The parents of Madeleine McCann did not show up to a prayer vigil for their daughter on the 17th anniversary of her disappearance.Kate and Gerry McCann were instead on a

Three-year-old Madeleine mysteriously vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal. Seventeen years on from her disappearance, family lit candles and marked her memory.