Kate Middleton takes another step forward in her full recovery after her cancer diagnosis. The Princess of Wales has just announced that next week she will undertake her first official overseas visit in three and a half years. It will be on May 13 when the wife of Prince William travels to Italy as part of her tireless work in support of early childhood.
This visit will mark an important step forward in Kate Middleton’s return to her full-time duties after completing her chemotherapy treatment. Over the past months, the Princess of Wales’s daughter-in-law has already undertaken brief trips to Marseille, on the occasion of the Rugby World Cup in autumn 2023, and attended Hussein of Jordan’s wedding in Amman in June 2023. However, these trips were not official engagements.
The last official mission trip of the Princess of Wales occurred when she accompanied her husband, Prince William, to Boston for the Earthshot Prize awards in December 2022, where the couple were booed. Her last solo foreign visit was to Denmark in February of that same year. In January 2024, the future Queen of England was admitted to hospital to undergo abdominal surgery and subsequently diagnosed with cancer that required a cycle of chemotherapy and led her to withdraw considerably from public life.
Kate Middleton began a slow and gradual return to public life nine months later, confirming that the cancer was officially in remission in January 2025. Although she has not undertaken trips far from home for work, the Princess of Wales has gradually returned to her royal duties. A few days ago, for example, she joined the royal family to commemorate the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth and has participated in several receptions for foreign dignitaries.
Kate Middleton and Her Trip to Italy
It will be next Wednesday when Kate Middleton flies to the city of Reggio Emilia, in northern Italy. There she will undertake a two-day working visit. The focus of this trip will be the Centre of the Royal Foundation for Early Childhood, which she founded in 2021 and which she has described as the “work of her life”.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace has said that Kate Middleton was happy to travel abroad again, and added: “The Princess is looking forward to visiting Italy next week and seeing firsthand how the Reggio Emilia Approach creates environments in which nature and affectionate human relationships come together to foster children’s development.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales, during their trip to Boston in 2022.
This approach to early childhood education is a prestigious global initiative, introduced shortly after World War II and dedicated to the upbringing and teaching of young children. It emphasizes experiential learning through art, theatre, and movement, considering the natural world as the third teacher. The Princess of Wales has long wished to see it in action, as it brings together two of her greatest passions: early childhood development and the natural world.
The upcoming challenges for the Princess of Wales
The announcement of her imminent trip to Italy coincided with Kate Middleton’s visit today to the University of East London to present the centre’s new resource aimed at people who work with babies, young children and their families. It is a guide to social and emotional development called Foundations for Life. From Kensington Palace it has been stated that both the publication of this guide and the visit to Reggio Emilia mark “an important milestone” for the Princess of Wales and for her work in favor of early childhood.
Regarding the Waleses’ upcoming trips, it is expected that the heir to the throne will travel in July to the United States for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. An event that will coincide with the 250th anniversary celebrations of the country’s independence. It is not yet known whether his wife will accompany him, but this return to overseas tours fuels hopes that the Waleses may undertake a joint trip across the Atlantic, following in the footsteps of the high-profile State Visit of Charles and Camilla to meet with the Trumps last week.
