The Gist
Kate Middeton will mark a big milestone in her cancer recovery journey with her solo trip to Italy, which kicks off on May 13.
The Princess of Wales is “energized” at the idea of pursuing her ongoing work in childhood development on a global stage, palace aides say.
Kate last visited Italy 26 years ago during a study abroad gap year before she met Prince William.
As Kate Middleton touches down in Italy on May 13 for a two-day solo trip in Reggio Emilia, she’ll be marking a major milestone in her cancer recovery journey. The Princess of Wales’s visit to northern Italy will mark her first visit abroad since before she was diagnosed with cancer in 2024—and according to palace aides, Kate is “enthused” and “energized” with the idea of engaging in her senior royal duties in an international setting.
Kate Middleton arrives for the launch of “Foundations for Life: A Guide to Social and Emotional Development” at the University of East London on May 6, 2026 in London, England.
Credit: Getty Images
“[This visit] is an important step in the princess’s recovery journey. She takes great joy from this work,” a royal aide said about Kate’s trip, which is on behalf of her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood organization. Per People, they added, “I think it is only right that her first international trip since her illness is one that is focused on an issue that is committed to championing for decades to come and is a real issue that she wants to shine a spotlight on.”
Kate Middleton and Prince William, Prince of Wales during a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace on May 8, 2026 in London, England.
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Kate last went abroad on official business in 2022, visiting Copenhagen, Denmark also as part of her continued work with early childhood development and support. In Italy, the future queen will immerse herself in an Italian education ideology called the “Reggio Emilia Approach,” an interactive child-led philosophy that encourages curiosity, exploration, and expression.
Kate Middleton arrives for Prince William’s graduation ceremony at the University Of St Andrews on June 15, 2005 in St Andrew’s, Scotland.
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Separately, Italy also holds special personal memories for Kate. The then-18 year old spent time in Florence in 2000 as part of a study abroad gap year, one year before she met Prince William at St. Andrews. While there, Kate developed a passion for art history at the British Institute of Florence (a subject she later pursued at university)—and, according to royal biographer Katie Nicholl, nursed a broken heart.
The future Princess of Wales and her high school boyfriend Harry Blakelock broke up shortly before she went abroad, and, as a result, she seemed “entirely uninterested in romance,” according to friends, per Hello! Instead, Kate spent most of her time in the birthplace of the Renaissance taking in historic landmarks with friends and spending her downtime at Florence’s Art Bar in the Santa Maria Novella district.
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