On Tuesday, the Princess of Wales’ aides briefed the media about Kate’s two-day trip to northern Italy, which starts today. This visit isn’t structured like a state visit or royal tour. One might even say it’s more like a “quasi-royal tour” in the same vein as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trips to Australia, Nigeria, Colombia, Jordan, etc. Kate’s Italian trip is singularly focused on Early Years, but of course she’s picking up a very special keen award as well (a flag). Still, Kate’s aides are desperately trying to fluff up this trip to make it sound like it’s the biggest, keenest and most significant tour ever.
The Princess of Wales will take her early years crusade around the world to start a conversation about the issue with renewed vigour following her cancer experience, an aide has said. Kate is expected to travel the globe promoting the importance of the crucial first few years of a child’s life starting with her trip to Italy to learn about a unique decades-long project nurturing youngsters.
The two-day visit to Reggio Emilia, near Bologna, starting on Wednesday is the beginning of a “really significant moment” after her cancer recovery, an aide has said, with Kate “taking it up a gear” in pursuit of her “global mission”.
Christian Guy, executive director of Kate’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, who has travelled to Italy, said early years had the same urgency as other global issues such as climate change.
Kate revealed at the start of last year she was in remission after receiving chemotherapy treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer. She has not travelled abroad for a major visit since December 2022 when she went to Boston in the US with the Prince of Wales for his Earthshot Prize award ceremony.
An aide to the princess said: “Undoubtedly, this is a huge moment for the princess. 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.”
For more than a decade early years has been central to the future Queen’s public work and the visit comes after Kate launched last week a new resource for people working with youngsters and their families from her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
During her visit Kate will learn about the Reggio Emilia Approach, named after the city that pioneered the teaching method recognised across the globe, that stresses the importance of the parents, educators and environment – “the third teacher” – that surround a child.
The aide added: “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.”
They went on to say: “She wants to look at other models around the world and really create a global conversation.”
Kate will be welcomed to Reggio Emilia by the city’s mayor, Marco Massari, who will present her with the city’s highest honour in recognition of her early years work during a town hall ceremony. The reception will feature civil leaders and Kate will be joined by some of the key figures, now in their later years, who played a key role in shaping the Emilio Reggio education philosophy.
The foundation’s executive director said about Kate: “Building on her UK and international work in this area for many years, the princess is here with her Centre for Early Childhood to lead a new global conversation about this, believing we now need to focus on early brain development and nurturing the whole child with the same urgency and sense of mission as other global challenges like climate change – if we truly want to get ahead of these challenges in the future. This is about genuine prevention.”
“…Believing we now need to focus on early brain development…” It never fails to crack me up that Kate was incandescent with rage when Meghan said “baby brain” SYMPATHETICALLY to Kate, and now Kate’s whole thing is “well actually baby brains are important!” As for the new branding of Kate’s busywork – “a global mission,” bless her heart. Is she going to travel the world, listening, learning and keening about the Early Years? Or is this Italian trip just some international busywork which was hastily thrown together after the Sussexes were so well received in Australia?
Also: “She has not travelled abroad for a major visit since December 2022 when she went to Boston…” Are vacations not “major visits”? Because she’s taken multiple vacations in Mustique, France and Greece since the summer of 2024.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
