The Princess of Wales is set to undertake her first official overseas royal visit since her cancer diagnosis, traveling to Italy next week for a solo working trip with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
Milestone Journey
This upcoming journey represents a major milestone for the future Queen, as it will be her first extended official foreign engagement in nearly three-and-a-half years. The Princess, who revealed she was in remission at the start of 2025, is "very much looking forward" to resuming international travel, according to her aides. They described the visit as "an important moment in the expansion of the Centre for Early Childhood's work on a global stage."
Previous Overseas Visits
Kate's last official overseas visit occurred in December 2022, when she accompanied the Prince of Wales to Boston, USA, for the Earthshot Prize awards. While she also made 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, these were not classified by her royal household as official foreign tours.
Focus on Early Childhood
The princess will visit the city of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy for two days, from 13-14 May, to focus on early years child development. During her European stay, Kate will learn more about the Reggio Emilia Approach, an educational philosophy which 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.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: "The princess is very much looking forward to visiting Italy next week and seeing first-hand how the Reggio Emilia approach creates environments where nature and loving human relationships come together to support children's development. As the Centre for Early Childhood continues to build its work internationally, this visit is an opportunity to connect the Shaping Us Framework with leading global approaches, and to highlight a shared understanding, that it is in these early years, through the natural world and the warmth of human connection, that we begin to lay the foundations for a resilient and healthy future."
Centre for Early Childhood
The centre was founded by Kate in 2021 to raise awareness of the importance of early years experiences in shaping society over the long term, and to commission research. The announcement coincided with a visit by Kate to the University of East London on Wednesday for the launch of the centre's new resource for people working with babies, young children and their families. The 109-page Foundations for Life social and emotional development guide is aimed at both practitioners and volunteers. Palace aides said both the publication and the trip signalled a milestone moment for the princess and the centre's work in early years both in the UK and abroad.
Future Plans
The Prince of Wales is expected to travel to the US for the Fifa World Cup in July, around the same time as commemorations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. It is not yet known whether the princess will join him, but her return to foreign tours will raise hopes a trip across the Atlantic could happen for the Waleses, following in the footsteps of the King's high-profile US state visit to see Donald Trump last week.
Health Journey
Kate was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer early in 2024, for which she underwent chemotherapy, and she announced she was in remission 16 months ago in January 2025. She has gradually returned to royal duties, including supporting the King at state visits to the UK. In April, she 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.
Previous Tours
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. 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."
