Princess Catherine has arrived in Italy for a two-day visit focused on early childhood education, her first official overseas trip since her 2024 cancer diagnosis.

Princess Catherine has arrived in the northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia for a two-day visit focused on early childhood development. It is her first official overseas trip since she announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024.

The Princess of Wales, whose husband Prince William is heir to the British throne, was greeted by cheering crowds waving British flags and holding signs reading “Ciao Kate.”

Why is Princess Catherine visiting Italy?

Catherine is visiting Reggio Emilia to study the city’s internationally recognized approach to early childhood education.

Kensington Palace described the trip as a high-level fact-finding mission to explore leading international approaches to supporting young children and their caregivers. The visit builds on her long-standing work promoting the importance of early years development.

What is the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education?

The Reggio Emilia philosophy was developed by Italian educator Loris Malaguzzi after World War II, drawing on his experience working in early childhood education and psychology.

Its roots trace to 1945, when Malaguzzi helped a group of women establish a school in a war-torn village. He later worked with children with learning difficulties, which shaped his belief in prioritizing individual differences.

A central tenet of the philosophy is the idea of “The 100 Languages of Children,” which holds that children express themselves through movement, art, speech and many other forms.

“The idea is that children are competent from the very first months of life and we need to construct educational contexts that are able to bring out their potential,” said Nando Rinaldi, director of schools and nurseries for the Reggio Emilia municipality. Malaguzzi’s vision, Rinaldi added, “was a bit of a revolution” that has finally gained broad recognition.

How does this trip connect to Catherine’s early childhood work?

Catherine set up the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021 to highlight the importance of a child’s early years. Through that work, she has come to see that experiences in early childhood are often the root cause of serious social challenges, including addiction, family breakdown, poor mental health and homelessness.

Early education is also a subject close to her heart as a mother of three children: George, 12, Charlotte, 11, and Louis, eight.

She was welcomed in Reggio Emilia by mayor Marco Massari, with dozens of onlookers turning out to cheer her arrival. She is looking forward to seeing first-hand how the Reggio Emilia approach creates environments where nature and human relationships come together, the palace said. For the city, the visit carries particular meaning. “It is a great recognition for us. It is also a source of pride,” Rinaldi said.

When did Princess Catherine’s cancer diagnosis become public?

Catherine announced in March 2024 that she had been diagnosed with cancer and had begun chemotherapy, without revealing the specific type.

She confirmed in January 2025 that she was in remission and has since gradually returned to official royal duties. Her previous overseas trip was in December 2022, when she and Prince William travelled to Boston for the awarding of the Earthshot environmental prize.