Kate McCann has revealed that her 11-year-old twins are kept "up to date" on the case of their missing older sister, Madeleine. According to Kate, Amelie and Sean, who were sleeping in the same apartment as Madeleine the night she was abducted, are hopeful that their sister will return.

Speaking to The Sun, Mrs McCann said: "The twins are doing really well. They've grown up essentially without Madeleine, knowing their sister is missing and they want her back.

"They are up to date, they know everything, they know if we are meeting police. There is nothing kept from them."

Computer generated image depicting what Madeleine might look like today, aged 13. 

She added that although the twins don't talk about Madeleine as much as they did when she first went missing, they still raise funds at school to aid in Madeleine's search.

Kate and her husband Gerry have led an eight-year campaign to continue the search for Madeleine, who went missing from a holiday apartment in Praia de Luz in May 2007.

Last year, it was announced that the number of MET police officers working on the case was reduced from 29 to four.

Kate is leading a two-week appeal for those living in the UK to register for Child Rescue Alerts, a free scheme run by the Royal Mail which sends early alerts when a child is reported missing.