Will Madonna now look to adopt a baby in Lesotho - and is that why she saw Prince Harry at the polo?

6 June 2009

Will Madonna now look to adopt a baby in Lesotho - and is that why she saw Prince Harry at the polo?
By Katie Nicholl
Last updated at 11:55 PM on 06th June 2009
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Madonna may be planning to adopt a baby from the African kingdom of Lesotho after being told to ‘expect the worst’ over her bid to become the new mother of Malawian girl Mercy James.
Her quest for another child could be the reason why the singer and her adopted son David Banda watched Prince Harry play at a polo match in aid of his charity Sentebale in New York last weekend.

Maternal girl: Madonna and David Banda watch Prince Harry play polo in New York
The Prince has close links with Lesotho and Sentebale raises money for vulnerable children in the country, which has one of the highest AIDS rates in the world.
Madonna, 50, has an appeal pending in Malawi after a High Court ruling that she could not adopt four-year-old Mercy.
But The Mail on Sunday can reveal Madonna was warned last week that the three High Court judges considering the case are unlikely to rule in her favour when the verdict is made in open court later this month.

Prince Harry has strong links with Lesotho so is that why Madonna paid him a visit
The news comes almost a year to the day after she was officially granted permission to adopt three-year-old David from Malawi.
He now lives in New York with her two natural children, Lourdes, 12, and Rocco, eight, and Madonna is said to have promised David a new sister.
‘Madonna is not a patient person, she’s used to getting what she wants. She has said she won’t give up on Mercy but if she’s blocked from adopting her legally then she will think about trying to adopt another baby. She has already started looking into other African countries,’ a source revealed last night.

The family of Mercy say they do not want to let the young girl go
‘Madonna was devastated when she was told she couldn’t adopt Mercy. Her plan now is to start the ball rolling somewhere else. She has promised David a sister and she wants another African child.
‘If a miracle happens and she gets to adopt Mercy, I see no reason why she wouldn’t go ahead and adopt another child from a different African country as well.
‘She has done some research on Lesotho and because it’s a place that is ravaged by AIDS and has a high number of orphans, it could be the perfect second choice.’
In April, Malawian judge Esmie Chondo rejected Madonna’s application to adopt Mercy because the star does not fulfil the country’s residency requirements.
Prospective parents have to live in Malawi for 18 months before adopting an orphan.
But in other African countries residency is not part of the process.Madonna has sent a team of aides to Malawi in the hope that they can convince officials to let her have Mercy.
Sources in Malawi say the singer’s chief PA, her lawyer and a handful of representatives for her charity Raising Malawi are installed at Kumbali Lodge, where Madonna stayed in April when she tried to adopt Mercy.
But a source close to the star said: ‘Madonna has been told to expect the worst. She has a team in place in Malawi who have been campaigning tirelessly to try to facilitate the adoption. There was a private meeting between Madonna’s aides and a number of government officials last week.
‘Madonna’s representatives have been told the ruling, which is scheduled to be made public any day now, is not in her favour.’

David Banda's father seems happy with his son's care by Madonna during a visit to her Malwai lodge during a previous visit to the country
The singer argued in court papers that she was able to ‘securely provide’ for Mercy and ‘make her a permanent and established member of my family’.
One source in Malawi said: ‘There has been a lot of activity since Madonna’s people arrived. The officials from Raising Malawi checked in to Kumbali Lodge on May 29 and are booked in to the end of the month.
‘The lodge is not allowing other bookings, which is what happened the last time Madonna came in. There have been several meetings with government officials at the lodge, one of whom is an aide to Joyce Banda, the Vice-President of Malawi.

Madonna has promised David a sister, whether that be Mercy or another young orphan
'Madonna’s team have also made several visits to Blantyre, where the Supreme Court is. No one knows when the ruling is going to be made public. But the word here is that Madonna has been told the adoption is not going to happen.’
Madonna had hoped that the connections she has forged with Joyce Banda would help in her appeal to adopt Mercy, who is believed to be staying in a safe house.
A source in Malawi said yesterday: ‘Joyce Banda has publicly spoken out in support of Madonna and has said on the radio that Madonna is doing a good thing. She is on the committee of the school that Madonna is involved with in Malawi and has struck up a friendship with Madonna.
‘Joyce is due to visit the lodge soon but she hasn’t been yet. Sadly for Madonna, even their friendship and her good connections with the government don’t appear to have helped.’

David now lives in New York with Madonna and her two natural children Lourdes, 12, pictured above, and Rocco, eight
Last night Joseph Chigona, a spokesman for the Supreme Court, said that an official decision had not yet been reached.
‘We will inform the nation once the three judges are ready,’ he said.
Madonna’s US publicist last night insisted: ‘There has been no indication that a ruling is imminent. The adoption of Mercy is one of many rulings pending before the Court. There is no news on when the ruling is going to happen or that it will not be in Madonna’s favour. We remain hopeful.’