After the confusion yesterday over Where in the World is Chifundo Mercy James?, we learn today that little Miss Mercy has finally been united with her new family in London, England. Madonna and kids made their way to the Kabbalah Centre in London to meet up with her ex-hubby and father of her children, Guy Ritchie, for a little churchin’ … and from beneath one of the umbrella screens a little, tiny hand popped out — belonging to Madonna’s new daughter Mercy James:

It’s the most gentle of gestures – a tiny hand holding tightly onto the jacket of the woman carefully cradling her. This is the first glimpse of pop star Madonna and her new daughter Mercy James – who were united yesterday after the child flew into Britain. Hours after the four-year-old arrived on a flight from Malawi to Heathrow she got a taste of her new life as she joined her family on a trip to London’’s Kabbalah Centre. Hidden beneath a sea of shielding umbrellas Mercy was briefly glimpsed as she joined older sister Lourdes, and brothers David and Rocco at the centre. Even Madonna’s ex-husband Guy Ritchie was at the centre to meet the new arrival, whose adoption he publicly supported. Madonna, 50, had flown into Britain from New York with her three other children hours earlier. It is thought to be the first time that she has seen her new daughter since she travelled to Malawi in April when her adoption bid was initially rejected before being approved this month. Malawian police arranged for the airport terminal in Lilongwe to shut so Mercy and her new nanny Joanne could leave privately on a private six-seater Cessna Citation plane. They headed to Johannesburg on the first leg of their journey. From there the group flew first-class on a night flight to Heathrow, landing at 6.30am. Earlier Mercy was said to be filled with excitement at leaving her temporary home at Kumbali Lodge in Malawi. One member of staff said: “She was running around, singing to herself and telling everyone how she would be flying for the first time.” She said goodbye in her native language, telling staff: “I’m going now, I’m going on a plane, I’m going up to the sky.”

Yay!! At last … Mercy James is at home with her loving family! This union with her family has been a LONG time coming. I have to say, while the cute little story about Mercy “running around” is cute, I find it highly unlikely that anyone who has been allowed in close proximity to her would be talking to the press … no way. Even still, I’m sure the precious little girl was very excited (prolly a wee bit scared) to begin her new life with her new family. Madonna will be hittin’ the road again soon so she’s gonna have her hands full with all those kids plus a new concert tour. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a better picture of Mercy with her mother very soon :)

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

New reports today insist that Chifundo Mercy James, the precious little Malawian girl that Madonna has been allowed to adopt, boarded a private jet in Malawi that was bound for London, England … presumably to meet up with her new family. The only problem is, no one is completely sure where Madonna is at the moment. She flew in from NYC with her children in tow earlier this week but then left the UK late Friday on another private jet. If Mercy is flying in to London from Malawi, where did Madonna fly off to?

Mercy Chifundo James, the 3-year-old toddler adopted by Madonna, was secretly flown from her home country of Malawi into London early Saturday morning. “A private jet flew in from South Africa and collected her at five minutes to six last evening,” an airport source tells PEOPLE. “She connected to London from Johannesburg at 10:30 p.m.” Mercy, who will be joining big sister, Lourdes, brothers Rocco and David Banda, – also a 3-year-old from Malawi – was accompany by a nanny, a child nurse and another aide. Madonna has homes in England and in the United States … Madonna, who was seen leaving London by private jet Friday afternoon after earlier flying in from New York’s JFK airport, was still expected in Malawi, but no one could confirm when she would arrive. “There are still preparation for her coming,” said a source at Raising Malawi, the charity the singer set up in the African nation. “We still have a two-week booking at Kumbali Lodge.” The Lodge is an exclusive ranch Madonna has been staying during all three of her visits to Malawi. Owner Guy Pickering confirmed his place has been booked for two weeks but could not divulge more. “We don’t discuss our clients; that’s private information,” he said.

HMMM … all of this seems … wrong. My guess is that the report that Mercy left Malawi is a ruse to throw people off track. It seems more likely to me that the little girl was flown to the Kumbali Lodge to meet up with Madonna and co. to begin the bonding process. If the family is scheduled to be in Malawi for a couple of weeks then I’m sure that’s where everyone is meeting up. Whatever the case may be, I am happy to know that the adoption process is moving forward and things appear to be on track. Mercy will return home with her new family soon enough … but for now, bonding. Sounds like a good plan to me.

[Source, Source]

Prince Harry spent much of Day 2 of his first official visit to New York City yesterday horsing around with a few compatriots at the Veuve Cliquot Manhattan Polo Classic which took place on Governor’s Island in NY harbor. As you may recall, we learned yesterday that much of Day 1 was spent touring NYC on official biz. Yesterday’s charity polo match was played in an effort to raise funds for Harry’s charity Sentebele which benefits the children of Lesotho. Here are a few pics of Prince Harry doin’ his thang atop a horse named Serena as he lead his team to victory with a final score of 6-5:

Prince Harry ended his first trip to New York on Saturday with victory at a charity polo match and a dousing in champagne. The prince, 24, projected a newly serious image on his two-day visit to the Big Apple, kicking off his first official foreign trip by paying homage at Ground Zero, the site of the 9/11 attacks. But he was back to his glamour-loving ways Saturday at the star-studded game on Governor’s Island in the Hudson River, with Manhattan’s skyscrapers the dramatic backdrop. Riding a chestnut-colored pony called Serena he helped his team win 6-5 before an adoring crowd. Well-heeled guests and celebrities in sunglasses, suits, tiny dresses and large hats sipped Veuve Clicquot champagne, which sponsored the event, as they watched from white pavilions. On the other side of the pitch, hundreds of members of an enthusiastic public lay on the grass, roasting in the sun. All afternoon, the “mwah mwah” of air kisses mingled with the shutter snaps of paparazzi cameras and thud of galloping polo ponies. Argentine model and professional polo player Nacho Figueras, who captained the losing team, told AFP that Prince Harry was a “good player.” He dismissed suggestions before the game — staged to raise money for Prince Harry’s Lesotho children’s charity Sentebale — that he might go easy on his royal rival. “When we’re on the polo field we are all equal. That’s the way he’d like it,” said Figueras, whose appearance caused exclamations of admiration from several female journalists, including one gushing: “You’re so tall!” After the match, the famously hard-partying Prince Harry was soaked in champagne. Figueras sprayed the third in line to the British throne, who then drank from a champagne-filled trophy — and sprayed a mouthful of bubbly back. The red-headed prince is notorious for his late nights out and occasional PR gaffes, but is seen as one of the world’s most eligible bachelors. While New York is brimming with celebrities, the son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana has clearly made a mark. Invitees to the polo match included Madonna, Chloe Sevigny and fashion designer Marc Jacobs.

Rapper LL Cool J said he was thrilled. “It’s very cool he came over from London for it,” he said. The rapper, sporting diamond ear rings and shadowed by an enormous bodyguard in a black suit, said there was “a certain mystery” about royals. The closest he’d got to royalty, LL Cool J joked, was Queens — a decidedly down-to-earth area of New York City. This was Prince Harry’s first time to New York and first trip abroad as official representative of Buckingham Palace. He began on Friday with wreath-laying at Ground Zero, site of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack against the World Trade Center. He then named the British Garden in Manhattan in honor of the 67 Britons killed on 9/11 and met with veterans at a military hospital.

Congrats to Prince Harry and his team on their win … but really, it is the children who benefit from his charity Sentebele that are the real winners. I understand folks paid quite a pretty penny to attend yesterday’s event, with proceeds going to Harry’s charity. It looks like Madonna was interesting in pretty much everything else (including reading the new issue of Interview magazine which features Björk on the cover) BUT watching polo. Still, it was nice of her to grace the prince with her hallowed presence. And thus ends the first official visit to the US by his royal hawtness. We were very glad to have him and hopefully he’ll come back real soon.

[Photo credit: Splash News, Bauer-Griffin; Source]

Madonna bundled up her kiddies for their weekly sojourn to the Kabbalah Centre in NYC this weekend and she ended up getting her Jesus on too … Jesus Luz, that is, who was spotted escorting Maddy’s eldest child (and only daughter) Lourdes Maria on their way out of their place of worship. Later on in the evening, Maddy left the kids at home and stepped out with her manager Guy Oseary and Jesus to attend the Lady GaGa concert at Terminal 5 in NYC … here are a few pics:

It is plainly obvs that Jesus has fully ingrained himself into Madonna’s very small inner circle. If you are allowed to hang out with her children, you’re in like Flynn. It’s nice that Maddy was able to spend some downtime chillin’ with her family this weekend as her adoption case goes before the Malawian Supreme Court tomorrow. She is not required to be there but I wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up going anyway. I imagine she is very stressed but I’m still hoping for the best for her. Fingers crossed.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Earlier today we learned that Madonna suffered an accident in the Hamptons, NY after she fell off a horse she was riding there last evening but earlier in the day, she and her family (including her newly returned toyboy Jesus Luz) were having a grand ol’ time together getting their church on at the Kabbalah Centre in NYC. Here are a few photos of Madonna and her entire brood — including original babydaddy Carlos Leon, daughter Lourdes Maria, eldest son Rocco John, youngest child David Banda and eldest child friend Jesus Luz — making their grand exit from the Centre yesterday morning:

Passers-by outside New York’s Kabbalah centre must have performed a double-take when Madonna and her entourage turned up yesterday. For the Material Girl not only brought her on/off toyboy Jesus Luz, but her ex Carlos Leon also came along. Fueling rumours that the 50-year-old is back with the Brazilian model, 22, the Queen of pop left the centre with Luz and her three children in tow. Leon, is of course, father to Madonna’s eldest child, Lourdes, 12. Also in attendance was her adopted son, David Banda, and Rocco – but his father, Guy Ritchie, was noticeably absent. It’s the second time Madonna has been spotted with Luz since she announced on Twitter that the pair had split. The singer split from the model, who 28 years her junior, days before flying to Malawi in a failed attempt to adopt the three-year-old child Mercy James. It was reported at the time that Madonna had been told there was disquiet in the country about her lifestyle. But since her request to take Mercy James back to New York was refused, it appears Madonna has rekindled her romance with her ex. She is currently appealing after her bid to adopt orphaned Mercy was rejected by the Malawian courts.

Talk about an entourage … that’s quite a happy family she’s got there. It’s a shame their happy togetherness had to be marred by her accident last evening but at least we know that her day started out much better than it ended. It appears that Jesus Luz is back in full swing as Maddy’s companion and, barring interference from Immigration, will likely be spending a lot of time together. I suspect Chuy is currently keeping vigil by Madonna’s bedside in the hospital like a good little toyboy should. Again, I do hope that Madonna suffered no serious injuries and that she will be back on her feet very soon.

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]

At the start of the weekend, as y’all prolly remember, we learned that the court in Malawi overseeing Madonna’s adoption bid to become mother to 3 year old Chifundo Mercy James denied her petition for adoption and altho Maddy extended her stay in the country for a while longer she finally decided to leave Malawi early yesterday morning while her lawyers in Malawi launch an appeal to overturn the denial. It turns out that Maddy and her children Lourdes Maria, Rocco John and David Banda (her first adopted child) made their way to London instead of NYC where they were met at the airport by a very supportive person … her soon to be ex-hubby Guy Ritchie. Here are a few photos of Madonna’s arrival in London yesterday and of Guy happily collecting his son David Banda:

Madonna returned to Britain last night after ordering lawyers to ‘do everything’ to win her adoption battle. The singer, 50, was said to be ‘devastated and shaking’ at having to leave Mercy James, four, behind in Malawi. As she touched down at Luton airport, the strain visible on her face, her Gulfstream jet was met by ex-husband Guy Ritchie. Ritchie leapt up the stairs to sweep their adopted son David into his arms for a hug, and whisk him and son Rocco, eight, off to his Wiltshire estate. He and Madonna did not appear to speak to each other, but Ritchie has publicly supported the adoption of Mercy. However, the pair were said to have argued over the issue while still married, and Ritchie’s father John said yesterday that his son would be ‘very relieved’ by the court’s decision. Judge Esme Chombo ruled last week that Madonna could not adopt Mercy as she had not met residency rules which require adoptive parents to live in Malawi for 18 to 24 months. The star’s lawyer Alan Chinula described the judgment as ‘incomprehensible’, saying the same court had approved her adoption of David Banda in 2006. He said they were appealing the decision in Malawi’s Supreme Court, and believed he had a good chance of winning. Sources said Madonna told him: ‘Do whatever you can to get me my Mercy; I can’t imagine her going back to the orphanage.’ The singer and her eldest daughter Lourdes, 12, were said to have fought back tears as they left Malawi without the child. Madonna also reportedly told aides: ‘I can’t believe I’m leaving my beautiful baby behind. It’s not right. I love that baby girl . . . She’s my little girl – she needs to be with me.’ Officials have already returned Mercy to an orphanage, despite the appearance of a man claiming to be her biological father. Security guard James Kambewa, 24, said he was willing to take a DNA test to prove he was Mercy’s father and wants to raise the child. If the court in Malawi accepts his paternity claim it is likely to be the final blow to Madonna’s hopes of adopting the child. Mr Kambewa, who lives in a remote village 100 miles from Lilongwe, said he was told Mercy had died with her mother the birth. He told the Sunday Mirror: ‘I bear no grudge against Madonna. But I am Mercy’s father and I want her to stay with me… I will make it plain that my daughter will be staying in Malawi with me.’ Madonna had been told the girl was an orphan and Malawian authorities said her mother and father were dead. The girl’s other relatives had consented to the adoption.

What a swell Guy, indeed. Altho this report makes sure to mention that Madonna and Guy did not speak on the tarmac, I can only believe that Guy was there to offer his support for Maddy in her time of grief. I imagine that all of this has been emotionally hard on Maddy and I’m sure Guy is the kind of person to offer support instead of offering petty nonsense. I think being with Guy and her children, at least for a bit, will be very good for Madonna. Concerning these men coming forth to claim Mercy as their daughter, I really hope that it turns out that her father is still alive. My question is why did these men only step forward after Madonna tried to adopt the little girl? As I said, I hope her father is alive and that he steps forward to care for her … it’s just a sad matter all around. Here’s hoping that Madonna can get the support she needs from the folks in her life and, in the end, I hope the situation works out the best for little Mercy James. She is the most innocent person in all of this with the most to lose.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

First we saw photos of Madonna with her daughter Lourdes Maria in Malawi, then we saw photos of Maddy with her adopted son David Banda. Today we get to see that Madge’s eldest son, Rocco John, is also in Malawi with his mother and siblings on the family trip to A.) adopt a new child into the family and B.) reunited David with his biological father for a quick visit. Madonna, thru her longtime publicist Liz Rosenberg, has finally gone on the record concerning her desire to adopt Mercy James as her daughter and contends that she is following all the standard procedures in place to adopt a Malawian child. Here are a few pics of Madonna and her sons (you will note that Rocco is now sporting a mohawk) in Malawi this week and the latest on her bid to adopt Mercy James:

Madonna said Tuesday that she was following standard procedures in her adoption of a Malawian girl, her first response to accusations that that she is using her fame to speed the process. The pop superstar also took her 3-year-old adopted son, David, to visit the orphanage in Mchinji, a village near the Zambian border, where he once lived. She brought him Monday to meet his biological father for the first time since he left Malawi in 2006.

“Madonna is committed to maintaining an ongoing relationship with David’s Malawian roots,” said Liz Rosenberg in an e-mail to The Associated Press. Madonna took David, her 12-year-old daughter Lourdes and 8-year-old son Rocco to the orphanage with a security detail including uniformed Malawian police officers and plain-clothed guards from a private security firm. The entourage used two Toyota Land Cruisers to block a horde of journalists and more than 200 curious children. There were scuffles with the journalists, including cameramen and TV crews, as they tried to enter the brick-walled orphanage. Inside, the orphanage’s director Lucy Chipeta brought Madonna and her children to see the room and crib used by David. “It was an emotional moment,” she told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I am happy she brought her other children to see his roots.” Madonna confirmed she is trying to adopt a girl named Chifundo “Mercy” James who is about 4 years old. A Malawian judge held a closed-door hearing Monday on Madonna’s application to adopt the girl but delayed ruling on the matter until Friday. The girl’s 18-year-old mother was unmarried and died soon after she gave birth, according to the child’s uncle, John Ngalande. Her father is believed to be alive but has little contact with his daughter, he said. A coalition of non-governmental organizations called the Human Rights Consultative Committee has criticized Madonna’s adoption attempts, saying that adoption should be the last resort and that children need to be taken care of by their own family. “Mercy James is a child who has her extended close family members alive and we urge Madonna to assist the child from right here,” a statement from the coalition said. But others have said that the adoption would give enormous opportunities to the child that she would be unable to achieve in the impoverished country, where 14 percent of adults are infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The U.N. estimates that half of the 1 million Malawian children who have lost one or both parents have been orphaned by AIDS. Malawian law is fuzzy on foreign adoptions. Regulations stipulate only that prospective parents undergo an 18- to 24-month assessment period in Malawi, a rule bent when Madonna was allowed to take David to London. Madonna may also face legal challenges as a single mother; she and Guy Ritchie recently divorced. Madonna first traveled to Malawi in 2006 while filming a documentary on the devastating poverty and AIDS crisis. Her Raising Malawi organization, founded in 2006, raises funds to provide food, shelter, education and health care for children.

It sounds like we really won’t get any new information until the postponed case goes before the court this Friday. In the meantime, it sounds like Madonna and her children are having a lovely time in Malawi. I imagine it was a very emotional moment for Madonna to return to the orphanage where David lived before she adopted him. I cannot, for the life of me, understand how some people can be so critical of her adoption of David and her proposed adoption of Mercy James. In an ideal world, these children would be able to grow up happy and healthy in the care of their mothers … but since that isn’t the case, I think being adopted into a family with the means to provide for an extremely advantageous life is a blessing. But, I shant get into the whole matter all over again. We will soon know what the court’s ruling is and that will settle the case once and for all. And so … we wait.

[Photo credit: INFdaily; Source]