Alfie's case brought swathes of international support including from Pope Francis, who tweeted support for the family and asked that "their desire to seek new forms of treatment may be granted".

Alfie was granted Italian citizenship on Monday, with the country's ministry of foreign affairs saying it hoped the ill toddler would be allowed an "immediate transfer to Italy".

Alfie's parents then began a further appeal against the order stopping them from taking him to Italy, which was heard on Wednesday afternoon by a panel of three Court of Appeal judges, headed by Sir Andrew McFarlane.

The judges upheld a ruling preventing the 23-month-old from travelling abroad after life support was withdrawn.

Who was Alfie Evans?
Alfie was born to parents Tom Evans and Kate James, from Bootle in Merseyside, on 9 May 2016.

He was first admitted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool in December 2016 after suffering seizures and has been a patient in the hospital ever since.

Doctors diagnosed a degenerative neurological condition, which they have not been able to identify definitively.

Alfie's parents and the hospital clashed over what should happen to Alfie, who had been in a semi-vegetative state for more than a year.

His parents said they wanted to fly him to a hospital in Italy but this was blocked by Alder Hey, which said continuing treatment was "not in Alfie's best interests".

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