" Another step towards a full return to royal duties ." This is how the British media, led by the BBC, are currently interpreting the announcement—officially released by Kensington Palace at midnight today—that Catherine, Princess of Wales, will visit Reggio Emilia, Italy, on May 13th and 14th , for an event connected to a campaign—of which she is the patron in the United Kingdom—for the promotion of early childhood education.
It will be an informal, ceremonial visit that the future queen will make alone, without her husband William, heir to the throne of her father, Charles III; but above all, it will be her first trip abroad intended as a public engagement since the terrible battle with cancer she faced in 2024, which resulted in the announcement of remission following extensive, intensive chemotherapy.
In 2024, William and Kate had a visit to Italy scheduled, which they were then forced to postpone due to the princess's health issues. An odyssey that now appears to be behind them, several commentators point out, presenting the trip to Reggio Emilia as "a return" to the international stage.
Kate's last overseas mission as a member of the royal family dates back to December 2022, when, three months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, she accompanied William to Boston, USA.
In April 2025, Italy hosted a state visit by King Charles and Queen Camilla, who, after institutional meetings in Rome, also stopped in Ravenna, Emilia Romagna.
(Unioneonline)
