Kate Middleton Is Reportedly 'Very Much Looking Forward' To Her First Overseas Trip Since 2022
After a challenging few years dealing with her health, Catherine, Princess of Wales, is gearing up for her first overseas trip in some time and is delighted to be traveling to Italy. Catherine will get an opportunity to possibly show off some of her best, most chic ensembles during a trip to the fashionable country, as she continues her return to royal duty. The trip comes more than a year after Catherine shared an emotional update about her health journey and revealed that her cancer was in remission after several rounds of treatments.
Catherine is set to fly to Reggio Emilia, a city in Northern Italy, as part of a work trip in coordination with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, a charitable organization she founded in 2021. Considering the focus of the trip and the fact that she hasn't made any official overseas trips in over three years, Catherine is reportedly very excited about the endeavor. "The Princess is very much looking forward to visiting Italy next week and seeing first-hand how the Reggio Emilia approach creates environments where nature and loving human relationships come together to support children's development," Kensington Palace shared in an official press statement (via Page Six).
Catherine is set to visit Reggio Emilia on May 13 and 14, and the official trip is also significant for her foundation. It will be the first international collaboration undertaken by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, People reports. The organization's stated mission is to "increase awareness of, and action on, the extraordinary impact of early childhood," and to emphasize the importance of the first five years of life on kids' fundamental development. It's no surprise, then, that the princess would be so excited to spread the foundation's message internationally.
Kate Middleton has been slowly returning to royal duties after her cancer went into remission
After Catherine, Princess of Wales, announced her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, people around the world sent well-wishes and prayers for her recovery. In January 2025, Catherine revealed that her cancer was in remission, and she slowly began returning to royal duties — while also staying lowkey throughout 2025 to allow herself time to recover both physically and emotionally. As Catherine herself emotionally explained months after her successful treatment, life after remission is filled with unexpected challenges and hardships that many people don't realize.
"Treatment's done, then it's like, 'I can crack on, get back to normal.' But actually, the phase afterwards is really, really, you know, difficult," Catherine shared during a visit to Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital in July 2025 (via Hello!). "You have to find your new normal and that takes time ... and it's a roller coaster, it's not one smooth plain, which you expect it to be." However, after several high-profile public outings in London, it seems she is ready to move closer to some semblance of normal with her upcoming trip to Reggio Emilia, Italy.
The overseas outing marks Catherine's first international trip since 2022, when she and her husband, William, Prince of Wales, flew to America to attend the Earthshot Prize Awards, held in Boston, Massachusetts. At the time, many royal watchers had their eyes on William's trip to the States and whether or not he would visit his estranged brother, Prince Harry, amid their ongoing rift.