Branson fund for McCann legal costs

Sir Richard has been in touch with several other wealthy people to encourage them to contribute as well, she added, without specifying who they were.

Meanwhile, the McCanns attended Sunday mass at their local church for the first time since returning from Portugal.

A Portuguese newspaper, the Correio da Manha, reported that Mrs McCann is to be reinterviewed in the UK. The paper said Madeleine's mother would be made aware of "all the evidence against her" so she could respond to police's questions.

Meanwhile, the Archbishop of York sprang to defence of Mr and Mrs McCann.

Dr John Sentamu told the BBC: "Kate and Gerry have been treated unjustly and inhumanely, because the evidence does not stack up at all. There is this great injustice which they feel is piled upon them."

Dr Sentamu added that the police focus should be on trying to locate Madeleine.

On Saturday, two of Kate McCann's closest friends dismissed claims she could have had anything to do with her daughter's disappearance and praised her as a devoted mother.

Both Linda McQueen, 45, and Nicky Gill, 39, have been friends with Mrs McCann since she was a child and have kept in close touch with her now that they are all parents themselves.

The pair both travelled to London specifically to speak out about Mrs McCann and defend her against allegations about her ability as a mother and her role in Madeleine's disappearance.