Mercy

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JUST days ago four-year-old Mercy’s world was an orphanage in Malawi.

But this week the latest addition to Madonna’s family will be setting off on a worldwide rock tour.

The toddler, who arrived at the singer’s Marylebone home at the weekend after a three-year adoption fight, will barely have time to adjust to London before an anticipated move to New York with her new mum later this week.

Madonna, 50, and Mercy are expected to live in the US with her new nanny Joanne, but will return to Britain in a fortnight when the star’s Sticky and Sweet tour resumes at The O2 Arena in London on 4 July.

Mercy will then bond with her adoptive mum on a gruelling two-month series of dates, taking in Italy, Germany, Hungary, Sweden and Israel.

The tot was seen in London for the first time at the weekend, wide-eyed as she took in the bustle of the capital. She is already said to have fallen in love with a £2,000 rocking horse in her bedroom.

"Madonna has been waiting for this moment for years, but realises that she shouldn’t over-stimulate Mercy by immediately smothering her with attention and things to do"

Her whistle-stop introduction to life with the Madge clan began within hours of touching down at Heathrow after a 6,000-mile flight, when Madonna drove her to a Kabbalah meeting.

The singer is said to be encouraging Mercy to follow the controversial faith.

The youngster also met up with siblings Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight and David, three, who was also adopted from Malawi, as well as Madonna’s ex-husband, director Guy Ritchie.

The boys are staying with Ritchie because David was so excited to see his new sister that Madonna, known to friends as Em, feared she would be overwhelmed by the attention.

A family friend said: “Em has been waiting for this moment for years, but realises that she shouldn’t over-stimulate Mercy by immediately smothering her with attention and things to do.

“Em had hoped to have all the children together for the next few days but David couldn’t contain his excitement and was tearing round the house like a runaway horse. He kept shouting, ‘I want to see my sister,’ and endlessly hugging and tugging at her.

“In the end it was best to pack him off with Rocco to Guy’s place in Wiltshire.”