Madonna’s new daughter Mercy, three (or four by different accounts), arrived in London on Saturday morning, accompanied by a nanny, nurse and aide who were flown to Malawi by private jet to pick her up. Madonna did not go to Malawi to pick up the girl. To be slightly fair to Madonna, she was in NY and had to fly with her family to London, so it’s possible she just wanted to see Mercy as soon as possible. It still seems self-centered that she didn’t personally go to Malawi to make sure that the little girl she fought so hard to adopt was ok on the flight over. Madonna then brought Mercy to the Kabbalah centre in London on Saturday. You would think she would make sure that Mercy was comfortable with her new home first, but she was probably excited and couldn’t wait to introduce her to everyone:

Mercy Chifundo James, the 3-year-old toddler adopted by Madonna, was secretly flown from her home country of Malawi to London early Saturday morning.

“A private jet flew in from South Africa and collected her at five minutes to six last evening,” an airport source tells PEOPLE. “She connected to London from Johannesburg at 10:30 p.m.”

Mercy, who will be joining big sister, Lourdes, brothers Rocco and David Banda, – also a 3-year-old from Malawi – was accompany by a nanny, a child nurse and another aide. Madonna has homes in England and in the United States.

Malawi’s highest court granted the adoption June 12, overturning an April court ruling that the pop star had not spent enough time in Malawi to be given another child.

Madonna, who was seen leaving London by private jet Friday afternoon after earlier flying in from New York’s JFK airport, was still expected in Malawi, but no one could confirm when she would arrive.

“There are still preparation for her coming,” said a source at Raising Malawi, the charity the singer set up in the African nation. “We still have a two-week booking at Kumbali Lodge.”

I doubt Madonna will go back to Malawi anytime soon and that booking was probably a formality. MSNBC’s The Scoop has some insider information that comes across like it’s straight from Madonna’s camp. They say that of course Madonna wouldn’t have withdrawn charity support from Malawi if this adoption had not been granted. The way they word it makes it seem like a distinct possibility that Madonna would have done just that, though:

Don’t expect the controversy over the adoption to end, however. Initially, a Malawian court ruled that Madonna couldn’t adopt the 3-year-old girl because Madonna hadn’t fulfilled the country’s residency requirements. On June 12, a judge in the country’s high court said the previous judge applied too narrow a definition of residency to the situation, and that Madonna’s commitment to her charity Raising Malawi should be taken into account.

“Behind the scenes, there was a lot of pressure on Mercy’s father and the judge to allow this (adoption)” a source connected to Raising Malawi said.

Even if the adoption hadn’t been granted, Madonna’s charity work would have continued, according to the source.

“It’s not like she’d quit doing the work — she clearly cares about the children in that country and its an essential link to her son David. But it would create an awkward situation.”

The fear isn’t whether Madonna will provide a good home to Mercy, it’s what the future will hold where the girl’s remaining family in Malawi is concerned.

“David’s family has spoken out since he was adopted (suggesting that David’s father wanted him back),” said the source. “Mercy still has family there, and there’s a good chance that as they see the life Mercy has, they’ll be wanting to benefit in some way from Mercy’s new life. It’s not an easy situation, but Madonna is just trying to do what’s best for Mercy.”

[From MSNBC’s The Scoop]

I don’t agree that Mercy’s family is only trying to benefit from her adoption by Madonna. That could definitely be part of it, but her father had no idea she was alive until the news of the adoption came out and was trying to have some kind of relationship with her. If Madonna wanted to do what’s best for Mercy she would have tried to figure out if her family was earnest about seeing her and raising her. The adoption is complete now and Mercy will live a jet-setting materially privileged life with Madonna, her children and her various staff members. Madonna loves David and she’ll love this little girl as her own. She’s not going to have a lot of time to spend with her though, as she’s starting a 24-city 2 month tour on July 4.

Madonna is shown holding Mercy under an umbrella outside the Kabbalah Centre in London on 6/20/09. Credit: ALMASI/ROCHA/bauergriffinonline.com. She is also shown at the airport with her family on 6/19/09. LMASI/PARSONS/bauergriffinonline.com