THE father of Madeleine McCann spoke of his distress yesterday, six months after her disappearance, and said he hoped “she is being treated like a princess”.

Gerry McCann wrote in his internet diary: “It is so painful for us simply being separated, but all the more distressing when we have to speculate about the situation Madeleine finds herself [in].

“We have no idea whether she is suffering but we have to hope and pray that she is being treated like a princess, as she deserves.”

Last night he and his wife Kate attended prayers and a vigil for Madeleine at the church of St Mary and St John near their home in Rothley, Leicestershire. Scores of local people attended.

Madeleine McCann: the key questions

Why are the "Tapas 9" key to solving the Madeleine mystery?

Related Internet Links

• The latest full coverage of Madeleine McCann

BACKGROUND

• McCanns consider interview bids

• Madeleine McCann: the global reaction

• The forgotten victim in the McCann case

Multimedia

• Pictures: searching for Madeleine

• Video: McCann family start holiday

Related Links

• Friends fear for Kate McCann's health

• Gerry McCann returns to work

Rob Gladstone, the vicar, said: “Everyone has been shocked and it’s a way for the community to express their support.” There were also vigils in Kate McCann’s home city of Liverpool and Praia da Luz, the town in Portugal where Madeleine disappeared in May. Friends of the family were praying for her in Glasgow.

Earlier in the day, the McCanns released a new photograph of their daughter on a Shetland pony as part of a fresh appeal for her safe return.

“Madeleine is a beautiful little person who deserves a loving and happy life,” said Kate McCann.

It has emerged that a Portuguese teacher told police she believed she spotted the missing girl at Barcelona airport a few weeks after her disappearance. The report is expected to be examined by the McCanns’ own investigators at the Spanish agency Metido 3.

While Portuguese detectives continue to work on the theory that the McCanns may have been involved in their daughter’s disappearance, the couple believe it is most likely she is in Spain, Portugal or north Africa, where there have been several suspected sightings.

It emerged last week that the McCanns’ legal team had only recently been told of the Barcelona link.

If Madeleine is not found soon, reports of her being seen around the world are likely to emerge for years to come. Senior investigators say the most likely scenario is that she is dead.

The McCanns have been dismayed by reports last week that tests had proved their daughter’s body had been in their hire car.

Clarence Mitchell, the couple’s spokesman, said the police had not given details about the test and it was understood analysis was continuing.

Results from the DNA testing will be crucial if the police are to pursue the theory that the McCanns could have been involved. Inconclusive tests would be likely to lead to the inquiry being scaled down.

The McCanns want to ensure police continue to pursue the abduction theory. The inquiry has three official suspects, the McCanns and Robert Murat, an expatriate Briton in Praia da Luz.

Times Recommends

• Please help: maimed children of war want their lives back
• Unlocking the cruellest prison
• Charles named in £81m court battle