Kate Middleton ‘very much looking forward’ to her first official overseas visit since cancer treatment

The Princess of Wales will travel to Italy next week, marking her return to official international duties after cancer treatment.

Kate will make a solo trip to the city of Reggio Emilia, with her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood on 14 and 15 May and aides said she was “very much looking forward” to getting back to overseas work.

Just a few months later, she underwent major abdominal surgery and was subsequently diagnosed with cancer, undergoing around six months of preventative chemotherapy. She announced that she was in remission in January 2025.

The royal has since opened up about her “difficult” journey and here she candidly talks about one of the surprisingly tough parts:

Her return to travel could see her join William on other visits this year, including to India for his Earthshot Prize Awards. He has also been tipped to visit the United States to coincide with the FIFA World Cup and events to mark the 250th anniversary of Independence, although no official invitation has yet been extended.

© Getty

Next week’s trip therefore marks a major milestone for Kate personally, as well as in the expansion of her Early Childhood Development work on the world stage.

She will carry out a series of engagements during what is being described as a high-level fact-finding visit, which will spotlight the Reggio Emilia Approach.

The world-leading philosophy on raising children focuses on the importance of attentive carers, the environment that surrounds a child and nature as “the third” teacher.

© Kensington Palace / Will Warr

Kate has long championed the importance of nature and connection for mental health as well as for raising children and is understood to have been keen to see the approach in action for some time.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson 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.”

For more than a decade, the Princess has highlighted how problems in early childhood lead to some of society’s biggest challenges, including mental health, addiction, and family breakdown. 

She passionately believes that by working with children and families in the first five years of life, we can shape healthier and happier futures for all.

The announcement of the Princess’s trip comes as she visits the University of East London today to launch a new guide for those working with babies, young children and families.

© Getty Images

The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which was established by Kate in 2021, has produced Foundations for Life: A Guide to Social and Emotional Development, a new resource for carers, parents and those supporting them. 

In its foreword, the Princess writes: “While our society often focuses on academic or physical milestones, research consistently shows that it is our earliest relationships, experiences and environments which lay the foundations for our future health and happiness.

“The quality of our connections – with ourselves, with others and with the world around us – shapes how safe we feel, how we relate, and how we process experiences throughout our lives.”

“By age five, our brains have already grown to 90% of their adult size… making early childhood a critical window for developing the social and emotional skills that become the bedrock of lifelong wellbeing.”

The 109-page guide will be used in entry-level training for early years leaders as well as in ongoing professional development.

Kate’s outing also coincides with new research which reveals how many parents struggle to access clear, consistent and personalised guidance.

The First Five Years: A Parent Perspective report says: “Many spoke of wanting more information to help them understand what their child is experiencing and how best to support them, while also struggling to navigate inconsistent advice and mixed messages.

“Parents are deeply committed and motivated, yet this lack of clarity can leave them feeling unsure and without the reassurance they need.”