UK's Princess of Wales to visit Italy in first overseas trip since illness

LONDON, May 6 – Kate, Britain’s Princess of Wales, will travel to Italy next week for her first official overseas visit since undergoing treatment for cancer, Kensington Palace said on Wednesday.

The wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince William will carry out a two-day visit to Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, as part of her work focusing on early childhood development, the central theme of her public work.

The visit will centre on the “Reggio Emilia approach,” which places relationships, the environment and community at the heart of a child’s development and has influenced schools around the world.

“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.

Kate revealed in 2024 that she was undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer, and said last year she was in remission.

PUBLIC APPEARANCES HAVE INCREASED

Since her illness, she has significantly reduced her official workload, saying she was taking each day as it comes.

While her public appearances have gradually increased, she has not joined William on any recent foreign trips.

Improving children’s social and emotional wellbeing in their early years has become Kate’s main campaigning issue. She and William have three children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight.

She launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021 to bring together experts and research on the issue. On Wednesday, the centre will publish a new resource, the Foundations for Life guide.

“In a world which feels increasingly distracted, fragmented and digital … it is more important than ever to invest in what truly helps us to thrive: human connection,” she wrote in its foreword. REUTERS