Catherine, the Princess of Wales has reflected on her “deeply moving and unforgettable” time in northern Italy.
Kicking off her two day tour in Reggio Emilia – her first official overseas tour since recovering from cancer – Princess Catherine greeted a large adoring crowd, posing for photos, accepting bouquets and even played with three month old baby Elena.
“I speak a bit of Italian. What is your name? I am Catarina,” she said to some of the children.
Princess Catherine surprisingly has an interesting connection to Italy, having spent her gap year in Florence after graduating Marlborough College in 2000.
However, Catherine chose Reggio Emilia for this tour given its innovative approach to early childhood education – a cause close to her heart.
“I love that you put children and childhood at the heart of the community, and I’m really fascinated to learn more about it,” she said.
For her first day, Princess Catherine wore a blue suit by Canadian-British designer Edeline Lee and a light blue handbag by Asprey London.
On her second day, the Princess toured the Salvador Allenda School where she sat in a circle with the children for the morning assembly. She also visited Remida, il Centro di Riciclaggio Creativo to learn how the town’s industries support the development of young children.
Concluding her visit, Catherine enjoyed a pasta making class at the rural farm stay Agriturismo Al Vigneto in Felino.
Commemorating her visit, the Princess of Wales shared a post of Instagram thanking the lovely townsfolk.
“Over the past two days in Reggio Emilia, I have seen first hand the power of nature and creativity that put human connection at the centre of a child’s world,” she wrote.
“I have had such a deeply moving and unforgettable time here. Thank you to the people of Reggio Emilia for welcoming me into a culture of care with such warmth and generosity.
“Our collective work in early childhood must be to protect and nurture the connections that form the foundations of life-long wellbeing.”
The city is home to the Reggio Emilia approach, an educational pedagogical philosophy which is student-centred and child-led. Loris Malaguzzi developed it in Italy after WWII. Classrooms are designed to encourage exploration, creativity and connection to nature. Education is experiential and self-directed. It has some bases in Australia, including in Hawthorn, Victoria.
Reggio Emilia’s mayor Marco Massari welcomed Catherine into the Town Hall. Catherine was then presented with the Primo Tricolore, the town’s highest honour to recognise her efforts in child education.
Her last official overseas trip in her capacity as Princess was to the United States of America with Prince William in December 2022. Her father-in-law, King Charles, recently returned from an historic state visit to the US just last week. Since her recovery, she has travelled overseas on holidays to France and Jordan, but this is her first official trip in her capacity as a Royal.
Princess Catherine is the latest royal to be heading off on a tour in 2026. Queen Mary and King Frederik made a royal tour to Australia earlier this year. Also, as mentioned, King Charles and Queen Camilla visited the US. King Charles then paid a visit to Bermuda. Catherine’s brother-in-law, Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, also paid a visit to Australia. However, their visit was not in an official royal capacity as they gave up their royal status (although they retained their titles).
The news of Princess Catherine’s Italian tour came on the day she promoted the launch of the Foundations for Life University of East London. These foundations are a guide developed by the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood. Princess Catherine established this foundation in 2021. The Princess visited their facility and met with families, researchers and educators to learn about the processes and resources available.
“If you could invest in just one thing to help you and your family thrive, invest in the relationships you have with each other,” Princess Catherine wrote in an essay for the foundation.
“Children who are raised in environments rooted in love, safety and dignity are better able to develop the social and emotional scaffolding required to form healthy relationships, resolve conflict and grow into adults capable of building loving partnerships, families and communities themselves.”
“Look the people you care about in the eye and be fully there – because that is where love begins.”
