Catherine, Princess of Wales, received a jubilant welcome upon arriving in Italy on Wednesday for her first overseas engagement since revealing her cancer diagnosis in 2024.
Eager crowds cheered as Catherine made a walkabout through a piazza in Reggio Emilia, where handmade banners reading “Ciao Bella” welcomed the Princess of Wales, who appeared relaxed as she greeted the crowd. Some chanted her name, while others offered her flowers and gifts.
The trip to Reggio Emilia, a city known for its innovative approach to early childhood education, gave Kate an opportunity to explore international philosophies on nurturing young children, a cause central to her royal work.
The two-day tour also allowed Kate ease back into her public duties, more than a year after announcing her cancer was in remission. She has not undertaken an official overseas engagement since visiting Boston in December 2022 with her husband, Prince William.
The visit to Reggio Emilia marks a more active phase in her public duties following a gradual return to public duties after cancer treatment.
Kate met with teachers, administrators, parents and students at two preschools on Wednesday to learn more about the Reggio Emilia approach, developed after World War II and centered on collaborative, creative and hands-on learning.
During her visit to the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, a global hub for teaching of the Reggio Emilia approach, Kate made clay balls and coils as she spoke with educators.
Marco Spaggiari, who works at the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, said Kate greeted everyone in Italian and asked “beautiful questions.”
“I was impressed with the humanity of the person and the capacity she has to understand what we are saying. We were talking in a really relaxed way,” said Spaggiari.
“She said she wanted to stay with us for another hour,” Spaggiari continued. “She was playing a lot and learning a lot. It was amazing.”
Kate has long made early childhood learning a cornerstone of her philanthropic work. In 2021, she founded the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood, which focuses on raising awareness of and driving action on the importance of early childhood development.
“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,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said in a statement ahead of the trip.
The spokesperson added that the visit marks a “significant next step” for her Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood.
“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,” the princess’s aide said, per Reuters.
To commemorate Kate’s visit, she was awarded the Primo Tricolore, Reggio Emilia’s highest civic honor, a replica of the first Italian flag adopted in the city in 1797, presented by the mayor of Reggio Emilia, Marco Massari.
