The Sun
The Queen of Pop was pictured with Mercy for the first time yesterday as authorities began finalising the adoption arrangements.
Four-year-old Mercy held the hand of new sister Lourdes, 12, as she enjoyed her first family outing.
They were surrounded by a posse of minders, but Mercy — wearing a blue dress — was seen laughing and smiling as she joined her new family.
Madonna spent over an hour in Malawi’s High Court on Monday, when she told Judge Esme Chombo she would be “a deeply loving mother” to Mercy, whose Malawian name is Chifundo.
In adoption papers seen by The Sun, Madonna says: “To deny Chifundo the opportunity to be adopted by me could expose her to hardship and emotional trauma which is otherwise avoidable.”
The judge will give an official ruling on Friday — but Madonna, 50, has already been told that her application will succeed.
The pop queen is due to fly to Britain on Saturday — and has told staff at her London home to “prepare for the arrival of my new little girl”.
Madonna celebrated Monday’s successful meeting by throwing a dinner party at her luxury lodge.
A charity worker who attended the bash said Madge was drinking wine and hugging her staff — while her adopted son David held Mercy’s hand and ran around excitedly telling guests: “This is my new sister.”
The source said: “Madonna looked incredibly proud and happy, and David was so funny — he couldn’t leave Mercy alone and pulled her around all the guests.”
Eight-year-old brother Rocco — Madonna’s son with ex-hubby GUY RITCHIE — has also been helping to welcome Mercy into the family by playing with her in the gardens of the lodge.
A senior Malawian official yesterday confirmed that Madonna had been told Mercy was hers.
The official told The Sun: “This is all very confidential, and Judge Chombo must still make her ruling — but that ruling will be in favour of Madonna.
“Madonna is a very good mother and ambassador for Malawi. She has improved the lives of thousands of orphans.”
The approval comes after The Sun told how Madonna had recruited two of Malawi’s leading politicians to help secure her second adoption.
Madonna’s adoption of David from Malawi caused a storm, and some human rights groups accused her of using her vast wealth to “bulldoze” the authorities into agreeing to her requests.
The star has donated huge sums of money to help look after orphans in the African nation, where 14 per cent of adults are infected with HIV, the virus that causes Aids.
David, now three, yesterday met his biological dad Yohane Banda for the first time since he left for Madonna’s privileged showbiz world when he was adopted in 2006.
Farmer Yohane, 34 — immaculately dressed in blue suit and white shirt — wept with joy at the emotional reunion. He said: “I knew one day my dreams would be answered.”
Yohane, who had been forced to leave his baby son at an orphanage after the tot’s mum died, added: “At first I didn’t recognise him as he’s grown so much.
“David sat with me and spent time squeezing and playing with my nose.
“It was the proudest day of my life, to sit here again with my son. Now I want him to meet his half-brother and sister and show him the village in which we all live.”
Under the deal which allowed David’s adoption, Madonna has a duty to take him back “regularly” to Malawi so he can see his dad and keep in touch with his roots. And yesterday Madge apologised to other orphans at his former home — because David could not understand them.
At the moment David speaks only English, and was baffled when kids at the Home of Hope orphanage in Mchinji asked him “Muli cwanji?” — meaning “How are you?”
Madonna told orphanage staff she is employing a tutor to teach the whole family the basics of the local Chichewa language.
She added: “Next time I come here we won’t need a guy here to translate for us.”
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