Princess of Wales to visit Reggio Emilia in first overseas engagement since cancer treatment

Rome – Catherine, Princess of Wales will travel to Reggio Emilia on 13–14 May for a visit centred on the internationally acclaimed Reggio Emilia Approach to early childhood education, in what will mark her first official trip abroad since 2023 and her first solo overseas engagement in almost a decade.

The visit, announced as part of her work with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, underlines the Princess’s long standing interest in the formative importance of the first five years of life and her growing international profile in the field of childhood development.

During the two day visit, Catherine is expected to meet educators, researchers and local officials involved in the Reggio Emilia model, regarded globally as one of the most influential educational philosophies for young children. Discussions are expected to focus on possible collaboration and the exchange of ideas on childhood learning and wellbeing.

The choice of Reggio Emilia carries symbolic weight. The educational approach developed in the northern Italian city after the Second World War places emphasis on children’s autonomy, creativity and relationships, while treating the surrounding environment as an active part of the learning process. Its principles closely mirror themes repeatedly championed by the Princess in speeches and campaigns in Britain.

Although Catherine has never publicly referred directly to the Reggio Emilia Approach, many of its central ideas overlap with the work she has promoted through her Shaping Us initiative, launched in 2023 to raise awareness of the importance of emotional and social development during early childhood.

The Princess has frequently argued that experiences between birth and the age of five can shape future mental health, relationships and life outcomes. She has also advocated giving children greater opportunities for self expression and exploration, themes central to the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

The approach was pioneered by the late Italian educator Loris Malaguzzi, who helped transform a parent led nursery established in the aftermath of the war into a globally studied educational movement. In 1991, the American magazine Newsweek described one of the city’s schools as the best early childhood institution in the world.

The visit will also represent an important personal milestone for Catherine following the cancer treatment she underwent in 2024. Since returning gradually to public duties, the Princess has increasingly spoken about wellbeing, nature and family life, subjects that have become more prominent in her public image.

Italy also holds personal significance for the Princess. Her only previously known visit to the country came in 2000, when she spent several months in Florence during a gap year studying Italian and Renaissance art.

The trip is likely to attract considerable attention in both Britain and Italy, where the Princess remains one of the most popular members of the Royal Family and where the Reggio Emilia educational model is regarded as a point of national pride.

PS