Guy stays home as Madonna goes back on the baby trail

11 April 2012
The Weekender

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Madonna 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

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

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 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."

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