Kate returns to international travel next week with solo trip to Italy

The Princess of Wales is to return to international travel by carrying out her first overseas royal visit since facing cancer.

Kate, who revealed she was in remission at the start of last year, will head to Italy next week on a solo working trip with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

It is a major milestone for the future queen and is her first extended official foreign trip in nearly three-and-a-half years.

Aides to the princess shared how she was “very much looking forward” to getting back to international travel and said the visit was an important moment in the expansion of the Centre for Early Childhood’s work on a global stage.

Kate 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 the autumn of 2023, and went to the Crown Prince of Jordan’s wedding in Amman in June 2023 but these were not considered by her royal household to be official foreign tours.

The princess will visit the city of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy for two days from May 13 to May 14 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.”

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 coincides 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.

In its foreword, Kate writes: “While our society often focuses on academic or physical milestones, research consistently shows that it is our earliest relationships, experiences and environments which lay the foundations for our future health and happiness.

“The quality of our connections – with ourselves, with others and with the world around us – shapes how safe we feel, how we relate, and how we process experiences throughout our lives.”

She adds: “By age five, our brains have already grown to 90% of their adult size… making early childhood a critical window for developing the social and emotional skills that become the bedrock of lifelong wellbeing.”

In the coming months, the centre will work with early years leaders to embed the understanding into entry-level training and ongoing professional development.

Its publication also coincides with new research from the centre which reveals many parents struggle to access clear, consistent, and personalised guidance, with “mixed messages” causing confusion at a time when they most need reassurance.

The First Five Years: A Parent Perspective report says: “Many spoke of wanting more information to help them understand what their child is experiencing and how best to support them, while also struggling to navigate inconsistent advice and mixed messages.

“Parents are deeply committed and motivated, yet this lack of clarity can leave them feeling unsure and without the reassurance they need.”

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.

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, 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.

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.”