Madonna celebrated her 67th birthday over the weekend in Tuscany, Italy, surrounded by four of her children and a host of celebrity friends. The seven-time Grammy-winning singer was spotted on Saturday, August 16, attending the historic Palio di Siena horse race in the city of Siena.
Madonna watched the thrilling race from a balcony with her boyfriend, 28-year-old Akeem Morris, her eldest daughter Lourdes Leon, 28, her son Rocco Ritchie, 25, and her 12-year-old twin daughters, Stella and Estere.
Also in attendance, watching from separate balconies, were British singer Sting, 73, and Academy Award-winning actor Eddie Redmayne, 43, who recently appeared in The Day of the Jackal as an assassin. Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner, wore a grey baseball cap and blue shirt, while Redmayne beamed with joy in a zippered polo shirt, according to The Independent.
The Palio di Siena is a historic horse race that has taken place twice a year in Siena’s Piazza del Campo since the 17th century, with the first official race occurring in 1633. The event involves 10 riders representing different neighborhoods in the city, and the strict rules require them to ride with only a set of reins and a racing whip.
The race, which draws thousands of locals and tourists to the stands, was originally created to determine a sporting champion from the various districts of Siena. Before her birthday celebration, Madonna marked her son Rocco’s 25th birthday with a heartfelt post on social media, urging her followers to support children affected by the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
She wrote, “Politics cannot effect change. Only consciousness can. Therefore, I am reaching out to a man of God.” She added, “Today is my Son Rocco’s birthday. I feel the best gift I can give to him as a Mother is to ask everyone to do what they can to help save the innocent children caught in the crossfire in Gaza.”
Madonna emphasized that she was not “placing blame” or “taking sides,” but was simply advocating for the innocent lives at stake, saying, “Everyone is suffering. Including the mothers of the hostages. I pray that they are released as well. I am merely trying to do what I can to keep these children from dying of starvation.”
Madonna shares Lourdes with actor and personal trainer Carlos Leon and Rocco with British film director Guy Ritchie. Her adoptive children include David, 19, Mercy, 16, and the 12-year-old twins, Stella and Estere.