Whisked from an orphanage onto Madonna’s private jet: Twin sisters from Malawi begin their new life after the ‘overjoyed’ star adopts them - but not before judge asked 'uncomfortable questions' about star's plans for the girls 

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Madonna jetted out of Malawi tonight with her adopted twin daughters to start a new life - as she confirmed she was 'overjoyed' to welcome the girls into her family. 

Under the cover of darkness, Madonna and her new daughters boarded a private jet less than 36 hours after a judge ruled she could adopt the twins. 

But it wasn't without difficulty, as papers from the court case reveal the pop star was asked 'uncomfortable questions' about her reasons for further adoption from the south African country. 

Sharing a picture on Instagram as she walked hand-in-hand with the two girls, she said she was grateful to those who made the process possible. 

Madonna wrote: 'I can officially confirm I have completed the process of adopting twin sisters from Malawi and am overjoyed that they are now part of our family.

'I am deeply grateful to all those in Malawi who helped make this possible and I ask the media please to respect our privacy during this transitional time. 

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Madonna shared a picture on Instagram of her walking hand-in-hand with the girls as their adoption was confirmed

Madonna shared the picture with a message thanking those who had helped her on the long journey to adopt the orphaned twins

'Thank you also to my friends, family and my very large team for all your support and love!'

The singer was wearing a Dolce and Gabbana dress in the picture, which was once priced at $3000.  

Madonna jetted out of Malawi taking her two new adopted daughters to begin their new life just over 36 hours after a judge in the capital Lilongwe had approved her adoption request. 

According to a court document obtained by the Associated Press, Judge Fiona Mwale was satisfied that Madonna 'is motivated by her desire to offer a home, love, protection and guidance.' 

'The petitioner is a professional performer and I guarded myself against the danger of her merely reciting a well-rehearsed speech by asking her some rather uncomfortable questions to which she gave very candid answers,' Mwale said in her ruling.

Mwale said she didn't challenge Madonna, 58, on Malawi's residency requirements for adoption, saying the country's Supreme Court of Appeal had addressed the issue in the pop star's previous adoption.

'In determining her motives, I questioned the petitioner at length about the impact of her decision which could be construed as robbing Malawi of its most precious resource, its children,' the judge wrote. 

The pop superstar boarded a private jet with twins Stella and Esther under the cover of darkness. 

Madonna leaving Malawi with her two adopted daughters. It will be their first flight and the first time they've left the country

Madonna and the girls were both said to be excited when the judge ruled in her favour for adoption

The Gulfstream IV jet is thought to be headed to New York where her other two adopted children from Malawi, David and Mercy, are waiting.

The owners of the American registered jet had requested that their tail registration number not be included in popular web flight tracking sites.

The crew for the blue and white Gulfstream jet arrived two hours before Madonna and her entourage to prepare the plane for the 18-hour flight.

The jet had been parked near to the cargo section of the airport away from the main passenger terminal. Madonna arrived in a white 4x4 but was obscured from view.

Within 20 minutes of arriving the jet taxied to a runway and took off at 6.24pm UK time. 

Madonna flew the girls out of Malawi on a private jet, which the owners requested not be tracked on popular websites

Their private flight was just 36 hours after the judge made the ruling about the twins and their new life

The twins will be joining their new brother and sister, David and Mercy, in New York. The two were also adopted from Malawi

Madonna wasted little time taking her daughters home, flying out of the country just 36 hours after the decision

The singer will be bringing her daughters Stella and Esther home to this New York City apartment

Madonna's new twin daughters were 'very happy' and 'very excited' as they prepared to leave for their new life in America, their government guardian revealed.

Malawian orphans Stella and Esther, four, walked hand in hand with the 58-year-old star out of court yesterday after a judge yesterday approved her application to become their mother.

Madonna said the children will keep their birth names as part of an effort to preserve their identity as Malawians, and a Malawian carer will travel with the children to the United States to ease their transition. 

The singer had earlier hugged and kissed twins Stella and Esther after a judge ruled she could take them back to her home in New York.

MailOnline can reveal the adoption of the four-year-old girls began two years ago after Madonna filed paperwork to become their adoptive parent.

Court appointed guardian Dominic Misomali told MailOnline: 'You could see the love she had for them in her face and she was already a mother to them. The girls are very happy and very excited about what is happening to them.'  

Today's flight is the first time the girls have ever been on a plane and left the small African country where they were born and left to grow up in an orphanage following their natural mother's death at childbirth. 

Madonna could barely contain her delight when she was finally told she would be 'mum' to the twins.

The emotional scenes were witnessed by the girls' guardian Dominic Misomali who told MailOnline the singer was overjoyed with the ruling at the High Court in Lilongwe.

Beauties: Madonna posted this image of her daughter Lourdes with twins Stella and Esther to her 8.7million Instagram followers during a visit to the Home of Hope orphanage in Malawi last year

In a post from July 2016, liked by almost 80,000 of Madonna's followers, she wrote: 'Three beauties. Lola spends time with twins, Stella and Esther at Home of Hope Orphanage.'

Home of Hope: Madonna visited Malawi last year and spent time at the orphanage where Stella and Esther were living. She posted a series of images from her visit, above.  Today the twins' government-appointed guardian Dominic Misomali said: 'Madonna has followed the letter of the law and there have been no shortcuts'

Mother: Madonna visited the Home of Hope Orphanage in Malawi with her children Lourdes, David Banda and Mercy James, and posted pictures of the visit on Instagram last year, above left. Government guardian Dominic Misomali told MailOnline that Stella and Esther are 'very excited' about their new life

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline he said: 'You could see the motherly love from Madonna to the girls. 

'They were so happy and Madonna was showing all her motherly instincts. She let one of the girls take off her glasses and put them on. They are very happy together.

'The children had lots of toys on the floor while the judge spoke and she let them play and not hush them up.'

Mr Misomali, who will later this year travel to New York to see how the girls are settling in, said the singer clasped the hands of the girls to leave the judge's chambers when her adoption was rubbed stamped by Judge Fiona Mwale.

'They walked out either side of her and she was holding their hands. You could see the love she had for them in her face and she was already a mother to them. The girls are very happy and very excited about what is happening to them.'

Mr Misomali, 52, the Principal Social Welfare Officer for the Department of Gender, Children and Disability, said Madonna had begun the adoption process two years ago.

That was when she first met Stella and Esther at the Home of Hope Orphanage where she had adopted two previous children, David and Mercy.

'The application was lodged about two years ago. Madonna has followed the letter of the law and there have been no shortcuts. She has followed the correct procedure and that has taken the two years.'

He said Madonna plans to keep the girls' names of Stella and Esther other return to the US. The girls do not speak any English.

Their mother died five days after giving birth due to complications from a caesarean section operation in August 2012.

The girls' father Adam Mwale, who has five other children including a grown up son, was unable to cope and handed them over to the orphanage.

During the adoption process Madonna has visited the twins several times while checks were carried out by the Department of Gender and Children to her suitability as an adoptive parent.

Court documents revealed how the twins were taken in by the orphanage after their mother died soon after childbirth and their father left to marry another woman. Pictured: The Vogue singer leaving Lilogwe High Court after a hearing to adopt Esther and Stella last month

There was some criticism over Madonna's adoption as she is not a resident of the nation but the judge ruled the singer, 58, would provide a loving family life for the children. Pictured: Orphanage worker Estelina Kalumpha plays with Esther and Stella as toddlers

Without hinting what her intentions were, the singer posted photos of herself with the girls on Instagram and also a picture of the twins with her daughter Lourdes.

The photos were taken last summer and makes Madonna's statement two weeks ago that she was not in Malawi to adopt children all the more bizarre.

After photos appeared of Madonna at the High Court she emphatically denied she was in Lilongwe to adopt any children saying she was visiting her charity projects in the country.

MailOnline revealed the twins names were Stella and Esther.

Her other children Mercy and Daid, 11, Lourdes and Rocco have met their new siblings on visits to Malawi.

As part of the vetting process carried out by the Department of Gender Madonna was quizzed over where the children would live, their education, general well being and how they get on with their siblings.

Mr Misomali said Madonna had said she will not change the girls' birth named and plans to make them aware of their cultural heritage by bringing them back to Malawi for regular visits.

Court papers revealed that Madonna felt 'compelled' to adopt four-year-old twin girls Esther and Stella from the Home of Hope Orphanage after hearing of their plight. Pictured: Madonna with Mercy James (right) and David Banda (left), both adopted from Malawi, in 2013

Goodbye: It has since emerged that Stella and Esther's biological father Adam Mwale was in the courtroom with Madonna when she was granted permission to take the girls home. Pictured: Madonna's son Rocco playing with children at the Home of Hope Orphanage in Malawi

'We have said we approve of the visits but they should not be in school time,' he said.

Mr Misomali said he had held five meetings with Stella and Esther's father and said he is fully aware that he has signed over all parental rights.

He is unlikely to ever go to America but Mr Misomali said it was up to Madonna if she wanted the girls to see their father when she returned to Malawi.

As the children's guardian appointed by the court he will make at least one visit a year to check up on the children and to make a report for his boss Dr Mary Shawa, head of the Department of Gender and Children in Lilgonwe.

Dr Shawa insisted Madonna had not been given any special treatment by her staff.

'She has followed the correct procedures for adoption,' she said.

Madonna was given approval to adopt the twins during a private 90-minute meeting in the judge's chambers on Tuesday.

Making her ruling, judge Fiona Mwale, acknowledged Madonna satisfies the age requirement under section 3 subsection 1 of the adoption of children act and that Madonna as a petitioner is above the 25 years of age and that the age difference between her and the infants is more than 21 years set out in the law.

She said the court had also taken note of the singer's development projects in Malawi before describing her as 'A good friend of the country'.

The court considered these projects with her latest project being the one for which she has raised US7.5m which is the construction of Paediatric Surgery Ward at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, which is scheduled to open early next year.

'The court considered that since she is regularly coming into the country to visit these projects it means she will still be visiting the country therefore giving the children a chance to be closer to the family members,' the judge observed.

Court spokesman Mlenga Mvula said the adoption was confirmed by their father and her maternal uncle which is a legal requirement to kick start the adoption process.

Stella and Esther's biological father, Adam Mwale, gave Madonna his consent to adopt them and accepted it 'permanently terminates' his parental rights. Pictured: Madonna with her other adopted children David Banda and Mercy James

Earlier it was revealed that Madonna posted a heartbreaking picture of twins Stella and Esther to her Instagram account - six months before their adoption was finalised.

The clearly besotted 58-year-old star wrote '3 Beauties!' next to the image of her daughter Lourdes cuddling the sisters on a visit to Home of Hope orphanage in July 2016. 

Madonna posted the picture, which a source has confirmed as her new daughters, to her 8.7million followers in July last year during a week-long trip with Rocco, Mercy James and David Banda. 

Court papers have revealed the star felt 'compelled' to adopt four-year-old twin girls from an orphanage in Malawi after hearing of their plight through her charity work. 

The documents detailed how the twins were taken in by the orphanage because their mother died soon after childbirth, their father left to marry another woman, and their grandmother struggled to look after several children.

Some Malawian activists have criticised Madonna for allegedly bending the rules and for exploiting one of the world's poorest countries.

But judge Fiona Mwale said the singer would provide a loving family life for the children in 'a luxurious, spacious and comfortable abode in an affluent neighbourhood' of the United States.

The ruling also said that Madonna, 58, was 'above the age normally considered within the ranges of parenting' and had submitted a medical report to prove her good health.

'Her charity work brings her into contact with orphanages... and it was as a result of this contact that she felt compelled to fill a gap in their lives and open up her home to them,' Mwale said.

'The petitioner satisfied me that this adoption is motivated by her desire to offer a home, love, protection and guidance to the infants.

'She would like to share what she has with those who are less privileged.' 

US pop diva Madonna sits among Malawian children during a visit to the Mkoko Primary School, one of the schools Madonna's Raising Malawi organization has built jointly with US organization BuildOn

 Madonna flew out to Malawi to check on the construction of a children's wing at a hospital her charity was funding in July

The ruling said the twins' father, Adam Mwale, gave his consent for the adoption and accepted it 'permanently terminates' his parental rights - adding that he had not received any incentives. 

The twins' biological father, judge Fiona Mwale (no relation), lawyer Mr Mvalo, interpreter Kaferaanthu Anthu and government-appointed guardian Dominic Misomali were the only other people in the room.

Madonna will be under observation by the court for a year before the adoption process is finalised, and a home study must be submitted to authorities. 

Mr Misomale, acting as the girls' guardian on behalf of the Malawi Government, will be required to travel to the US to observe how the singer is looking after them.   

Madonna (centre) flanked by her Malawian adopted children, David (in front of her) and Mercy (to her right) and BuildOn CEO Jim Ziolkowskiare (to her left), are pictured on April 2, 2013

Stella and Esther are said to have lived together in the orphanage for two years.

The 58-year-old singer applied for custody of the girls at the High Court in the capital Lilongwe on January 25. 

Madonna initially denied reports that she wanted to adopt again after visiting Malawi last month.

She claimed her trip was for her charity work, but it later transpired she was seeking to take in Esther and Stella Mwale. 

Malawi's High Court decision to allow Madonna to adopt the young girls brings the total of children she has taken in from the impoverished African country to four.

The US singer's adoption of Mercy James and David Banda, both 11, stirred anger among some Malawians who accused the government of allowing the pop star to skirt laws that ban non-residents from adopting children.

Officials who wrote a social worker's report on Madonna's suitability to adopt Esther and Stella gave her a glowing reference, MailOnline learned.

According to a insider at the High Court in Malawi's capital, officials with the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare carried out a detailed investigation into Madonna and her home life after she submitted a 12-page application to adopt. 

Madonna performs during the halftime show in the NFL Super Bowl XLVI in 2012

The source said the report only said complimentary things about the 58-year-old, and added: 'The adoption was never really in doubt. 

'The report on Madonna was very complimentary about her suitability to adopt the children. 

'It counted very much in her favour that she has provided a stable home to two other orphans.' 

The girls grew up in the same orphanage where Madonna found her first Malawian child David Banda.

The girls had been living at the Home of Hope in Mchinji for the last two years.

According to court records, the children were born on August 24, 2012 and at the time of the hearing of the petition they are aged four years and seven months.

Mvula said their father is still alive while their mother died within one week of delivery on 29th August 2012 from caesarian section complications.

'They are coming from a family of five siblings,' he said.

Making her ruling, judge Fiona Mwale, said the court had taken note of Madonna's development projects in Malawi before describing her as 'A good friend of the country'.

The court considered these projects with her latest project being the one for which she has raised US7.5m which is the construction of Paediatric Surgery Ward at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre which is scheduled to open early next year.

'The court considered that since she is regularly coming into the country to visit these projects it means she will still be visiting the country therefore giving the children a chance to be closer to the family members,' the judge observed. 

On Saturday, the family of the four-year-old twins were last night urged not to let the children go.

The warning came from the relatives of Mercy James, who was adopted by the singer eight years ago in Malawi.

In a message to the twins' family, Mercy's uncle, Peter Banet, said: 'You may never see your children again, never have contact with them. 

'It will be as if your children have died. That is the pain we feel every day.'

Mr Banet signed consent papers in 2009 allowing Madonna to adopt Mercy, the daughter of his 14-year-old sister, Mwandida, who died days after giving birth.

The family now say they were tricked into believing Mercy would stay in contact with them and even return home one day.

Madonna, 58, adopted Malawian children David Banda and Mercy James in 2006 and 2009. 

The mega-selling pop singer has two other children, Lourdes and Rocco, from previous relationships. 

A twitter image of Madonna with her son David Banda Mwale Ciccone Ritchie 

MailOnline has contacted Madonna for comment.