Princess Catherine returned to overseas travel this week with a two-day solo stop in Italy, arriving in Reggio Emilia as crowds cheered her arrival in the northern city. The trip marked her first overseas visit since she announced her cancer was in remission, and it centered on an early childhood education approach that was created in Reggio Emilia and spread internationally, according to her office’s description.
At the start of the program, Catherine spoke to a group of preschool children and introduced herself in Italian. “Parlo un po’ d’italiano,” she said, adding she then asked the children’s names in Italian and told them: “Io sono Catarina” (I am Catherine.).
Her remarks came as she participated in activities connected to the Reggio Emilia approach, which is built around the idea that young children have different ways of thinking, understanding and expressing themselves. Organizers said the model also calls for teachers to work with students to help them learn, drawing on the city’s history in that educational philosophy.
In remarks during the visit, Catherine said she wanted to come to Reggio Emilia because “your history is so rich and I have always been fascinated by the philosophy,” according to her program remarks as reported by the Associated Press. The trip is presented as part of what her office called an international “fact-finding mission” to explore different approaches to supporting young children and their carers.
The trip also reflects how Catherine’s public work has focused on early years development, which her office frames as spanning the period from birth to age five. Her visit is tied to work with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which she founded in 2021 to increase public understanding of early childhood support.
In a statement, Kensington Palace said the visit “will highlight the idea that the environment and human relationships that surround children are crucial to laying the foundations for a resilient and healthy future.” Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine, said the choice of destination underscores that Catherine plans to keep early childhood education as a focus.
Local residents in Reggio Emilia said they felt honored that she had chosen their city and its public preschools for her first visit since remission. Francesca Valli, described as a teacher of the Reggio Emilia approach, said she felt “very honored to be here, almost as a representative of my school,” and called the timing and nature of the visit “judicious, appropriate and well-considered.”
Catherine’s decision to resume public travel followed her announcement that she completed chemotherapy treatment. In a note she shared signed with her initial, C., she wrote: “It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery,” adding, “As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal.”
The Associated Press reported that Catherine’s return has included other activities aimed at addressing her recovery publicly, including time with fellow patients at the hospital where she received treatment in London. Her Italy itinerary, by contrast, is framed around what she and her office describe as early childhood development and the need for better support for children and caregivers.
Before the trip, an economist speaking in commentary said focusing on early childhood development matters because it brings attention to an issue tied to later life outcomes. Edoardo Masset, associate research director at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, said in a blog post that the relationship between early years education and success later in life is supported by “a large body of evidence on the effectiveness of programs for preschool children.”