Scotland Yard has been awarded a further £108,000 to continue the search for Madeleine McCann, 18 years after the three-year-old went missing while on a family holiday in Portugal.

Madeleine vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Algarve, on 3 May 2007, sparking what became one of the most high-profile missing person cases in the world. Despite an extensive international search and numerous appeals, her whereabouts remain unknown.

The latest round of funding, approved by the Home Office, brings the total allocated to the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Grange to more than £13 million since it began in 2011. Last year’s grant stood at £100,000, with this year’s allocation slightly increased.

A Home Office spokesperson confirmed the decision, stating:
“Ministers have approved a request to provide up to £108,000 for Operation Grange in 2025-26.”

Operation Grange was launched to review the original Portuguese investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance. Over the years, it has pursued hundreds of leads and interviewed numerous people connected to the case.

While Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have consistently expressed gratitude for the continued efforts, they have also acknowledged the long and painful wait for answers.

The search continues nearly two decades on, with investigators maintaining hope that the case may one day be resolved.