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Guy stays home as Madonna goes back on the baby trail
Last updated at 15:08pm on 17.04.07Madonna has arrived in Malawi alone after weeks of rowing with husband Guy Ritchie over her plans to adopt another child.
Ritchie had been expected to join the singer on a tour of orphanages in the southern African country, but pointedly instead remained at the couple's home in Marylebone, London.
Madonna was photographed emerging from her private jet at the country's main airport Lilongwe, cradling 18-month-old David Banda in her arms and kissing him on the head as she stepped on to African soil.
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Madonna visits Gumulira Village in Malawi
A few hours later, her film director husband was photographed going out for a business lunch with a film industry contact near their London townhouse.
The singer had fully hoped her husband would join her for the trip, during which baby David, who they adopted last year, would be reunited with his father for the first time.
But in recent weeks the pair have been at loggerheads over how the controversial adoption was handled, leading to Guy instead deciding that a business meeting in London was more important.
Star with David: Madonna, carries baby David from the private jet which landed in Malawi
When the subject of a revisit to the country was first mentioned, Mr Ritchie is understood to have prevaricated, before telling his wife that he had prior work commitments he could not break.
But that just served to upset his wife. Said the friend: "Madonna was furious, telling him to reschedule, saying she and the family came first. But Guy would not budge.
"Guy thought the trip had disaster written all over it. They were both very hurt over the way their adoption was criticised, and Guy thought it was too soon to be going back with a film crew," said the friend.
Guy Ritchie left alone in London
"Guy also thought it inappropriate to film baby David's reunion with his father - and that it was a private moment.
"And he thought from one look at her schedule that it just didn't look good to revisit on a whistle-stop tour of a few orphanages in a cavalcade of chauffeur-driven cars.
"He said to Madonna 'if you do go then at least make sure you get your hands dirty this time'."
Friends say the couple have not been getting on since falling out terribly over the first adoption.
Such has been the distance between the pair that in recent months they have even enrolled kaballah leaders to give them guidance on their marriage.
"They have been getting on so badly recently, that they have been left writing notes to eachother rather than actually speaking.
"They have been extremely conscious of raising their voices in front of the children, who they dote over.
"When they have been at Ashcombe House (their country home in Wiltshire), Guy can more often than not be found locked up in his study polishing his shotguns, while Madonna will be holed up in the gym or out jogging,' said the friend.
Their arguments came to a head shortly before the trip, when Madonna was teasing about bringing back another child from Africa.
"Guy went ballistic. He thinks they must spend more time going through the process which can take months. But Madonna just thinks his attitude is unhelpful and unsupportive."
Such was the background to the singer's arrival in Malawi.
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Apart from baby David, the 48-year-old singer was also accompanied by her daughter, Lourdes, but not her son Rocco.
Roadblocks were set up around the airport in the capital, Lilongwe, ahead of singer's arrival, interpreted by locals as another sign that Madonna as the Malawian authorities "eating out of her hand".
Just hours after flying in by private jet at 9.30am, Madonna apparently cancelling a planned reunion between David and his 32-year-old father Yohane. She is now expected to meet him in the next few days.
The singer is said to have finally bowed to pressure from Yohane Banda to let him see his18-month-old son.
She was expected to take David to see his father just hours after flying into the country by private jet.
Yohane Banda, a 32-year-old farmer who earns around £50 per year, has not seen his son since Madonna picked David out six months ago as the child she wished to adopt and flew him back to Britain.
Sources in Malawi say he is determined to see his son and has been trying to raise funds to go to Britain to find him if Madonna did not bring him to Malawi.
"He has been quite noisy, trying to find Madonna's address so that he could literally turn up on the doorstep," says a source.
"He didn't know how to find her any other way. Presumably Madonna is allowing this meeting to happen avoid such an embarrassing situation.
"Yohane is desperate to know how his son is getting on in London and feels let down by the authorities who he says have done nothing to help him."
Reader views (5)
It truly amazes me how anyone can find fault or critisism in somebody who actively gets involved both financially and physically in the setting up of childrens orphanages in Malawi. I would love to know exactly what contribution the people with negative views below have offered?
- Ryan Kennedy, Tufnell Park, London
Re: donating to the appropriate charities. If you have ever been to Africa you would have realised that many 'appropriate charities' are rife with corruption and those in need of aid, often do not receive such. The main problem with alleviating poverty in Africa is finding the right charity because a high percentage of the governments are corrupt. Madonna is to be applauded for her efforts. She is more than just donating funds, she is getting involved in the project. Whether she has millions of dollars or not is irrelevant, she has made more effort than most of us who sit here on the larger conrtinents looking on, ever will. She may have her faults, but you can't criticise someone for helping humanity.
- Paula, Barbados, Christ Church
If modonna really cared about saving poor children anywhere in the world, she would simply donate some of her large personal fortune to the appropriate charities. Her failure to do so simply shows her to be self-centered, egostistical and only interested in publicity.
- Rob, Rochester
No one should be allowed to fly into any country and take a child just because they can. Go through the proper procedures that are accepted as legal by the international community; Madonna does not seem to do this. It appears that she is using her wealth to buy a child, this is unacceptable. Think of the danger to children if everyone did this; children already suffer so much at the hands of adults. She should be using her power as a world figure to help all poor children, maybe she thinks that by rearing a child from a poor country as a member of her family that this would be enough. She is a powerful personality but just like Bono she seems cocooned in her own self worth as a celebrity; she does very little of consequence to help those less fortunate than herself and gains maximum publicity for it. She is so arrogant she does not seem to care if it is bad publicity.
- Kevin Sullivan, Belfast
She has decided that her fortunate position makes it possible for her to give a child that otherwise may die, from illness or poverty - how can anyone think that is bad?
Good for you Madonna!
- Yvette, UK
