Italy says ciao to Princess Kate on her first overseas trip since illness

REGGIO EMILIA, Italy — Britain’s Princess of Wales on Wednesday visited the Italian city of Reggio Emilia, renowned for its approach to early childhood education, on her first official overseas trip since undergoing cancer treatment.

Hundreds of people gathered in the city’s main square, framed by medieval and Renaissance buildings, and in nearby streets to greet Kate. Some waved Union Jacks while others held a banner reading “Ciao Kate.”

Kate, the wife of heir to the throne Prince William, was starting a two-day visit as part of her work focusing on childhood development, a central theme of her public work.

"Undoubtedly this is a huge moment for the princess. There will be many highlights of 2026, but this being her first official international visit post her recovery, this is a really significant moment for her," said an aide to the princess.

The Princess of Wales visits the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre during the first day of her visit to Reggio Emilia on May 13, 2026 in Italy. Stuart C. Wilson/ Pool via REUTERS

Kate greets child in Italian

Wearing a light blue trouser suit, the princess greeted children waiting for her outside the Town Hall.

“Buongiorno, what’s your name?” she asked a preschool girl in Italian, a city official said, recounting the exchange.

“My name is Camilla, and yours?” the child replied.

“I’m Catherine,” the princess said—prompting a brief look of surprise before Camilla, who expected to hear the name Kate, exclaimed: “But she’s called Catherine."

The visit will center on the "Reggio Emilia approach," which places relationships, the environment and community at the heart of a child’s development.

In her meetings with administrators, teachers, parents and children, Kate will focus on the historical roots of the city's schools, the role played by women, the connection between nature and learning, and the involvement of the local community, officials said.

After World War Two, residents of Reggio Emilia - many of them women - helped finance some of Italy’s first nursery schools by selling scrap metal from military equipment abandoned by retreating German forces. Pioneering schools for children under six took shape there decades before national legislation governing nurseries was adopted in 1968.

Princess to be given city's highest civic honor

Kate is expected to visit two public pre-schools, where classrooms are organized around open communal spaces known as piazzas, with in‑house kitchens and ateliers that encourage children to experiment with materials, colors and sounds.

The Princess of Wales will be joined by key figures who helped develop the Reggio Emilia approach such as Ione Bartoli, 95, a former regional councilor in the 1970s.

“The princess’s visit is an honor and recognizes what we in Reggio Emilia have achieved together for our children,” Bartoli told Reuters.

Kate will be awarded the Primo Tricolore, Reggio Emilia’s highest civic prize. It consists of a replica of Italy’s green, white and red national flag, first adopted in the city in 1797.

"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. — Reuters