On May 14, the Princess of Wales, 44, wore her beige Blaz\u00e9 Milano pinstriped blazer for her last round of outings<\/a> in Reggio Emilia, layering it over a cream sweater and skirt with cap toe slingbacks.<\/p>\n The blazer by the Italian label served as a flag dressing<\/a> nod to the country she was visiting, but it had an even deeper meaning connected to her cancer journey.<\/p>\n Princess Kate wore the jacket in a photo released with the first update about her cancer treatment<\/a> in June 2024 after she announced her diagnosis that March.<\/p>\n Kate Middleton smiles as she arrives for a visit to Remida in Reggio Emilia, Italy on May 14, 2026. Nearly two years ago, the Princess of Wales wore the beige blazer in a portrait taken by Matt Porteous beneath a tree in Windsor,\u00a0 where she lives with Prince William<\/a> and their children, Prince George<\/a>, 12, Princess Charlotte<\/a>, 11, and Prince Louis<\/a>, 8.<\/p>\n The pensive portrait marked the first image of Kate since she announced her cancer diagnosis in a video message<\/a> that March, and she said in a letter shared along with the June shot that she was making “good progress” but was not “out of the woods yet.”<\/p>\n In September 2024, Princess Kate shared that she had completed chemotherapy treatment<\/a> that September, and in January 2025, she announced with “relief” that she was in remission<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Princess of Wales’ visit to Italy was a milestone as her first overseas work trip since she announced her cancer diagnosis, and she brought things full circle by wearing the Blaz\u00e9 Milano blazer abroad, as aides described her solo visit to Italy as an “important step” in her cancer recovery journey<\/a>.<\/p>\n “[This visit] is an important step in the princess\u2019s recovery journey. She takes great joy from this work,\u201d an aide said in advance. “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.”<\/p>\n The Princess of Wales’ Reggio Emilia trip is a “really significant moment for her” as she takes her early childhood work “up a gear,” aides explained. Princess Kate visited the city from May 13 to 14 on a fact-finding mission to further her work in the early childhood sector as her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood<\/a> expands internationally.<\/p>\n Kate Middleton at Salvador Allende Scuola dell’infanzia in Reggio Emilia, Italy on May 14, 2026. Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter<\/a> to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!\u00a0<\/p>\n Kate was welcomed by thousands in Reggio Emilia’s city square<\/a>, toured the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre<\/a> to see the Reggio Emilia philosophy’s hub for herself and visited two preschools<\/a>, among other engagements, during her two-day stay.<\/p>\n The Princess of Wales previously wore the same pinstripe blazer<\/a> for a meaningful visit to Colchester Hospital’s Wellbeing Garden in July 2025, where she spoke with candor about the “really, really difficult” phase after cancer treatment<\/a> and the emotional “roller coaster” that comes with it.<\/p>\n![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/38f57d71dd58287dc42996fcac310040.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Stuart C. Wilson\/Getty<\/p>\n![\"Kate](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/italy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/eb4f39e22dcee0a1122bed3c35d5a387.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Jordan Pettitt – Pool\/Getty<\/p>\n