ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship reports from Italy, where the Princess of Wales received a warm welcome as she made her first foreign royal trip in four years
The Princess of Wales is embarking on a new “global mission” on Wednesday, as she makes her first overseas royal trip since her cancer diagnosis.
Kate will step off the plane and get to work in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy in what is being described as a “huge moment” for the princess personally.
The future queen has not been on an international work trip since 2022, and senior members of her team said that she is now “taking it up a gear” on this important Italian visit.
She will visit the town of Reggio Emilia, which has pioneered an approach to early childhood which is recognised around the world.
The princess was diagnosed with cancer in 2024, and much of her work went on hold during that time.
Courtiers at Kensington Palace have been trying to balance her work and her recovery since her chemotherapy finished.
Given the volume of chemotherapy Kate had during her treatment and the toll it’s taken on her body, this visit marks “an important step in her journey”, a source added.
They said: “She takes great joy from this work. I think it is only right that her first international trip since her illness is one that is focused on an issue that she is committed to championing for decades to come, and is a real issue that she wants to shine a spotlight on.”
Kate is trying to link up her 15-year programme of work on early years childhood development with other international approaches, which is why she picked this location near Bologna in northern Italy.
The “Reggio Emilia Approach” was developed after the Second World War and has transformed the life chances of generations of children, according to experts in this field.
It focuses on children from birth to six years old, and focuses on shaping the future health and well-being of each child as they develop into adulthood.
The Italian example aligns with the work the princess does in the UK with the Royal Foundation’s Centre for Early Childhood, and the issue has become her “life’s work”, say royal aides.
The Centre’s CEO, Christian Guy, who is with Kate in Italy, said: “From pregnancy to the age of five, children’s brains are developing at an extraordinary rate, forming the connections that will underpin how they think, feel, relate to others and navigate the world for the rest of their lives.”
Mr Guy told British and Italian reporters gathered in Italy that the princess intends to elevate the early years issue to give it the same “urgency as climate change”.
“A child’s brain,” he said, “forms more than one million connections every second”, and it “reaches 90% of its adult size by age five.”
The pre-schools in Reggio Emilia focus on learning through relationships and using the environment around them as the “third teacher”.
The role of nature, in particular, in all our lives is something that Kate understands more fully following the life-changing event that the cancer journey was for her.
It’s understood that the last few years have been a grounding experience and given the princess a new perspective on all aspects of life.
Kate intends to take the learnings from this corner of Italy back to the UK.
This is her first official royal visit to the country, although palace sources said the princess had been “remembering the happy memories that she had during her time in Florence on her gap year”.
They said: “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”.
“Undoubtedly, this is a huge moment for the princess”, said an aide when asked about what the visit means to her.
“Although there will be many highlights of 2026, I think this being her first official international visit, post her recovery, I think this is a really significant moment for her.”
It’s understood Kate wants to draw on the expertise in early years in other parts of the world, and her staff said she was now on a “global mission” which would inevitably mean further travel to deepen her understanding.
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