PRINCESS OF WALES MAKES FIRST OVERSEAS TRIP SINCE CANCER DIAGNOSIS
The Princess of Wales will return to official overseas travel next week for the first time since her cancer diagnosis when she visits Italy as part of her work on early childhood.
The Princess, who last completed a solo working visit in 2022, will fly to Reggio Emilia on a research trip with her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
She will carry out her first multi-day foreign trip in nearly three-and-a-half years, in a milestone for her recovery and a show of support for the region’s ethos around raising children.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said the Princess was “very much looking forward” to the trip, which she will attend without her husband.
She is expected to undertake further overseas travel this year, as she continues her recovery.
Her last solo working visit was in 2022, when she travelled to Copenhagen to see the Scandinavian approach to early childhood.
The Princess had chemotherapy after being diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer early in 2024. She announced she was in remission in January 2025.
She is currently helping to launch a new resource for professionals and volunteers who work with babies and young children, as well as families.
Published by her foundation, it lays out research on the development of children up to the age of five, including the damaging effects of “technoference”.
Stating that children “do not need perfect parents but rather good enough ones”, it also emphasises the importance of building human skills in young people growing up to work in a world of AI.
In her foreword to the report, entitled Foundations For Life, the Princess writes: “In a world which feels increasingly distracted, fragmented and digital, where life’s pace, noise and interruptions can be overwhelming, I believe it is more important than ever to invest in what truly helps us to thrive: human connection.”
During the visit to Italy, the Princess will join a “high-level fact-finding mission” to understand the Reggio Emilia approach, a recognised philosophy in early-years education which places relationships and environment at the heart of bringing up a child.
The Princess has championed the importance of “connection” and nature for families, and is said to have been keen to see the childcare system in the Italian region in person for some time.
She will spend time with teachers, parents, children and civic leaders on the visit, which is designed to highlight the importance of a child’s environment and relationships.
The trip marks the next step in the work of The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood as it expands internationally, a spokesman said.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: “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.
“As the Centre for Early Childhood continues to build its work internationally, this visit is an opportunity to connect the Shaping Us Framework with leading global approaches, and to highlight a shared understanding, that it is in these early years, through the natural world and the warmth of human connection, that we begin to lay the foundations for a resilient and healthy future.”
The centre was founded by the Princess in 2021 to raise awareness of the importance of early-years experiences in shaping society in the long term.
On Wednesday, she will launch the report during an engagement at the University of East London.
The Waleses’ last major tour together was to the Caribbean in March 2022 to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee. They also spent three days in Boston in December 2022, for the Prince’s Earthshot Prize.
In November 2024, the Prince expressed his hopes that his wife would feel well enough to travel again, saying: “I think hopefully Catherine will be doing a bit more next year, so we’ll have some more trips maybe lined up.”
2026-05-06T00:15:37Z
