The announcement, released on Wednesday, stated that the Princess of Wales will be travelling alone for the engagement, which will also become her first international royal duty in more than three years.
This upcoming visit represents a significant return to public-facing duties for Catherine, who has been gradually resuming her royal responsibilities following her health treatment. In January 2025, she revealed that she was in remission and has since been easing back into official work.
According to the palace statement, the two-day trip will take place in Reggio Emilia, a city in northern Italy. The focus of the visit will be early childhood development, a long-standing area of interest for the Princess through her Centre for Early Childhood.
Catherine is expected to explore the well-known Reggio Emilia Approach, an educational philosophy that emphasizes children’s natural ability to learn and develop when placed in nurturing, relationship-based environments.
A palace spokesperson highlighted that this specialist educational model aligns closely with the Princess’s ongoing work and is expected to further strengthen the goals of her early years initiatives.
The statement also noted that the Princess is looking forward to the visit and to seeing how environments that combine nature with strong human relationships can positively influence child development.
In addition, the royal family officially included the engagement in its public diary, confirming: “13 May 2026, The Princess of Wales, Joint Patron of The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, will visit Reggio Emilia, Italy.”
This visit underscores her continued commitment to early years advocacy while marking an important milestone in her return to international royal duties.
