Princess Katherine and Prince William will embark on their first secret tour of 2024, honoring the British Armed Forces in a foreign country. Royal sources confirmed the couple is in advanced discussions to travel outside the UK to thank British troops on behalf of the nation. While the plans for the trip are set, the destination remains undisclosed due to security reasons. However, according to the Daily Mail’s Rebecca English, the Prince and Princess of Wales will visit Rome in the spring. It is not yet clear if their visit will include a meeting with Pope Francis, as negotiations for such a meeting are still ongoing.
This will be their first official trip to Italy as a couple, though both have previously visited the country. Katherine even studied there in 2000 during a gap year at the British Institute in Florence, where she enjoyed photographing the city's cathedral and countless Renaissance treasures. This tour will mark the royal couple's first together since becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales. Their last tour together was in March 2022, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth during her Platinum Jubilee, when they traveled to Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas.
William and Katherine will kick off their year with a renewed focus on the military after their appointments to new military roles by King Charles following the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2023. The Prince of Wales now holds the roles of Colonel in Chief of the Merion Regiment, the Army Air Corps, and Royal Honorary Air Commodore RAF Valley. At the same time, the Princess of Wales was appointed Commodore in Chief of the Fleet Air Arm and Colonel in Chief of the First Queen’s Dragoon Guards. A royal source said, “It’s no secret about the Prince and Princess’s affection for the military, but 2024 is about celebrating the efforts of those personnel abroad.”
Prince William has a strong affiliation with the Armed Forces, having served in the Army as a platoon commander in the Blues and Royals before completing flying training in the Royal Air Force. He served as an RAF search and rescue pilot, spending three years at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales.
On Tuesday, the Princess of Wales celebrated her 42nd birthday privately, likely spending plenty of family time with Prince William and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. Princess Katherine has previously shared a special birthday tradition for her children, baking and decorating a birthday cake. “I love making the cake,” Princess Kate said on “A Berry Royal Christmas” in 2019. “It’s become a bit of a tradition that I stay up till midnight with ridiculous amounts of cake mix and icing, and I make far too much, but I love it.”
