Hundreds of royal fans gathered in the Piazza Camillo Prampolini in Reggio Emilia, Italy, this afternoon to welcome the Princess of Wales on her first solo royal visit in more than three years. The future queen, who has been undergoing cancer treatment, is said to be 'energised, enthused' and 'taking it up a gear' as she resumes her royal duties.
A Warm Welcome in Italy
Italians waving Union flags and holding photos of the princess filled the town square hours before her plane touched down at a nearby airport at 12:35 pm local time (11:35 am UK). The visit marks a significant step forward in her return to full-time duties after her health setbacks.
Focus on Early Childhood Education
Catherine is in Reggio Emilia, a city in northern Italy famed for its pioneering approach to early years education, to boost her crusade to improve young lives. Over two days, she is visiting pre-schools that follow the Reggio Emilia Approach, a child-led teaching method for children under six, similar to Montessori.
Those close to Catherine describe this as a 'huge moment', not just for her work with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which she launched in 2021. The life-changing diagnosis and surgery she underwent in 2024 have given her 'a new perspective' on all aspects of her life.
A Global Mission
One source said: 'She's looking forward to being here, she's energised, she's enthused, she's excited to see Reggio Emilia in action and meet the people here too. This is a global mission.' A palace official added: 'This visit is an important step in the Princess's recovery journey. She takes great joy from this work.'
Improving young lives has been described as Catherine's 'life's work'. Although she began a slow and measured return to public life nine months after her treatment, and was officially in remission in January 2025, this is her first overseas work trip.
The Reggio Emilia Approach
The visit will highlight the origins of the world-renowned Reggio Emilia approach to child-led early years education. Following the Second World War, residents, many of them women, financed some of Italy's inaugural nursery schools by selling scrap metal salvaged from equipment left behind by retreating German forces. These pioneering efforts laid the groundwork for the educational philosophy, which is now influential worldwide and aligns closely with Catherine's focus on children's social and emotional wellbeing.
Christian Guy, executive director of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, who is on the trip, said the princess believed many of today's 'deepest social issues' could be traced back to events in the early years when children's brains are being formed. He said: 'Early childhood isn't just a stage of human growth, it is a societal strategy. When we raise happy, healthy children, we build a happier, healthier society for everyone.'
Strengthening UK-Italy Relations
British diplomat Kassim Ramji, the Consul General in Milan, said the visit marked an important moment in UK-Italy relations. Catherine will also meet locals and learn how to make pasta at a traditional rural lunch outside Reggio Emilia, renowned as Italy's culinary capital and for its Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
As a young woman, the princess spent a formative gap year in Italy, immersing herself in the language and art history at the British Institute of Florence. An aide said: 'She was remembering the happy memories that she had during her time in Florence on her gap year. She's had many conversations with her husband the Prince of Wales, and her children about this trip, and they're looking forward to hearing about it on her return to the UK.'
