Amelie McCann was 2 when her sister disappeared. Now 18, she’s spoken about it for the first time.

The sister of Madeleine McCann has spoken about her disappearance for the first time in public.

Amelie McCann, now 18, and her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, attended an informal prayer gathering in their home village of Rothley, Leicestershire this week to mark 16 years since the toddler vanished.

Watch: The man suspected in the Madeleine Mccann case. Post continues after video.

Madeleine was three years old when she went missing in 2007 while holidaying with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal. 

Kate and Gerry McCann were out for dinner with friends and Maddie and her younger twin siblings, Amelie and Sean, were put to bed in an apartment about 100m away and left unattended.

Throughout the evening, the adults took turns checking on the kids. When Kate arrived at apartment 5A at 10pm, her daughter was gone.

Amelie has grown up in the shadow of her sister’s disappearance but has maintained her silence until now. Photos of her haven't surfaced since she was a child either.

Amelie McCann: Schwester von Maddie McCann bricht ihr Schweigen - 20 Minuten https://t.co/ApjZ5D2PvJ

— Politikfragen (@Politikfragen) May 4, 2023

As the family gathered to light candles at the small ceremony, the 18-year-old addressed the crowd.

"It’s nice that everyone is here together but it’s a sad occasion," she said.

Her twin brother, Sean, did not attend.

Fiona Payne, a close friend of the McCann family who was also in Portugal in 2007 when Madeleine vanished, read a poem.

Madeleine McCann's younger sister Amelie, 18, speaks publicly for the first time at candle ceremony to mark 16 years since her disappearance, calling it 'a sad occasion' pic.twitter.com/WOhWsZjOgY

— HÜSEYİN AVNİ KEMAL (@Hak_2861) May 3, 2023

"We are here this evening to show our loving concern for Madeleine and for all young children who have been taken away from their families against their will," the Reverend Rob Gladstone said when leading the prayer.

"We are also here to encourage one another to keep up hope and pray for a renewal of strength even after this long time."

Amelie joined in repeating mantras with the crowd who gathered, including "never give up", "leave no stone unturned", "don’t forget about me" and "still missing, still missed."

In 2022, Kate and Gerry McCann welcomed the news that a German man named Christian Brueckner had been formally made a suspect in their three-year-old's disappearance.

It was the first time Portuguese prosecutors were able to identify an official suspect in the case since Madeleine's parents were named suspects in 2007. They were later cleared of that suspicion.

Later that year in October, Brueckner, who is now 45, was accused of three rape offences and two child sexual abuse charges. These charges are unrelated to the disappearance of Madeleine.

He is currently serving time in a German prison.

In February 2023, Kate and Gerry McCann agreed to a DNA test to be completed by Julia Faustyna – a Polish woman who went viral after saying she believes she may be their missing daughter.

It was later confirmed the 22-year-old is not.

On May 12, 2023, Madeleine would have been 20 years old.

Feature image: Getty.