Madeleine McCann’s parents did not share Christmas message for first time in 15 years – as suspect could be charged

MADELEINE McCann’s parents did not share a Christmas message this year for the first time since her disappearance — as it emerged cops are preparing to charge prime suspect Christian Brueckner.

Every year for 15 years, Kate and Gerry had spoken of their hope of finding their daughter.

But the last update on their Find Madeleine website was in September, and tells of their disappointment at losing a legal battle with Portuguese cop Goncalo Amaral.

Last Christmas, the couple, both 54, thanked people for their support and wrote: “It feels a little like Groundhog Day with Covid . . . we’d all hoped and probably expected things to be quite different by now.

“It’s a little similar, in some ways, with the investigation to find Madeleine — work and progress but with no significant news to share at this stage.”

It is not clear why they didn’t post this year.

Meanwhile, Brueckner, 45, could be charged in the New Year, sources say.

German police are preparing to test evidence, with a high-level meeting to take place in Wiesbaden in January.

Cops say Brueckner could face trial in September.

He became the main suspect in 2020 when it emerged he was living in a campervan near the Ocean Club apartments in Praia da Luz, Portugal, from where Madeleine, three, vanished in May 2007.

The Sun on Sunday has told how Brueckner worked for a firm doing jobs at the resort and “knew it inside out”.

The convicted paedophile, currently in jail for rape, has always denied involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.