The Princess of Wales is “feeling well and energised” as she prepares for a major milestone in her return to full-time royal duties following her battle with cancer. The future queen is launching the next “pivotal” stage of her early years work by embarking on her first foreign trip in three and a half years, with a fact-finding mission to northern Italy next week.
Italy Visit Marks Return to International Travel
The princess will carry out a working visit with her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to Reggio Emilia. The region, considered a world leader in the subject, invited Kate to learn more about the Reggio Emilia Approach, an educational philosophy that focuses on the idea that children have the potential for self-development. The princess will also highlight the importance of nurturing environments and loving relationships to a child’s development.
Royal aides said the mother-of-three has been preparing for months behind the scenes and was “very much looking forward to” the visit, which will signal a return to foreign travel after an extended period away. A royal aide told The Mirror: “The Princess is feeling well and energised about making the trip to Italy. The visit reflects that she is able to begin undertaking international trips like this again, while, of course, still taking a balanced approach.”
Significant Milestone for the Princess
The aide added: “The visit marks a significant milestone for the Princess. It represents not only a return to overseas travel but an important step in taking this work onto the global stage. It also reflects how her long-standing commitment to early childhood is entering a new phase, where international learning and collaboration will play an even greater role.”
The future queen was hospitalised in January 2024 for two weeks following abdominal surgery and diagnosed with cancer a month later. She underwent six months of chemotherapy before announcing in January 2025 that she was in remission. Since then, she has maintained a gradual return to public duties.
The princess last carried out an official overseas visit in December 2022 when she went to Boston, USA, with the Prince of Wales for his Earthshot Prize award ceremony. She also undertook two brief trips to Marseille, France, for the Rugby World Cup in autumn 2023 and attended the Crown Prince of Jordan’s wedding in Amman in June 2023, but these were not considered official foreign tours by her royal household.
Rumours of US Visit
Rumours continue to swirl in royal circles that the Prince and Princess of Wales could be invited to the United States by President Donald Trump to celebrate the 250th Independence Day commemorations on July 4, following the success of the King and Queen’s State Visit to America last week. Kensington Palace insists it has not yet received an official invitation and any plans have not yet been confirmed.
For now, aides are concentrating on making the princess’s visit to Italy a success and suggest she has been focused on the potential of the visit to align with the launch of the centre’s new resource for people working with babies, young children and their families. During a visit to the University of East London on Wednesday, Kate, 44, celebrated the launch of a new guide for people working in early years.
Foundations for Life Guide
The 109-page Foundations for Life social and emotional development guide is aimed at both practitioners and volunteers. In the coming months, the centre will work with early years leaders to embed the understanding into entry-level training and ongoing professional development. Since launching the centre in 2021, the princess has gone on to be considered a leader in the field of research and development in the subject.
Aides described the royal as being “deep in the reeds” of the planning for the upcoming trip and confident of it being a fruitful excursion for developing the work of the centre. It is hoped that the range of engagements in Italy will develop what aides called “a clear evolution in the work”, including from building awareness to embedding practice, and now beginning to connect the centre’s work internationally.
Gradual Return to Royal Duties
The princess has over the last year gradually returned to royal duties, including supporting the King at state visits to the UK, and last month joined the royal family to mark the 100th anniversary of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, and made a solo appearance at the Cenotaph on Anzac Day. The Waleses’ last major lengthy tour together was their controversial trip to the Caribbean in March 2022 to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, before they spent three days in Boston in December 2022.
Prince William had expressed his hopes in November 2024 that his wife would begin to join him again on overseas tours, saying: “I think hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we’ll have some more trips maybe lined up.” Ahead of the princess’s two-day trip, next Wednesday and Thursday, our source said the excitement surrounding the visit was “palpable” and would herald “a major milestone” for the princess.
The source continued: “This is deeply personal to the Princess and very much a passion project. She has consistently focused on early childhood because she believes it is where we can make the greatest difference to society in the long term. By prioritising social and emotional development and strengthening relationships in early life, this work is about creating generational change, improving outcomes not just for individual children, but for families, communities and society as a whole.”
During her European stay, Kate will learn more about the Reggio Emilia Approach, an educational philosophy that focuses on the idea that children have the potential for self-development. She will also highlight the importance of nurturing environments and loving relationships to a child’s development. The aide added: “A huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes over more than a decade. The Princess is incredibly hands-on with her work and deep in the reeds of the planning of the trip with her team.”
“Since establishing the centre in 2021, the Princess has brought together leading academics, practitioners and global institutions to build a strong evidence base. From major research reports to the Shaping Us Framework and business and education partnerships, this has been a carefully developed, long-term programme of work designed to deliver real, lasting change.”
