Kate Middleton news: Princess of Wales speaks Italian as she is embraced by children during first foreign trip since cancer diagnosis for early years work

He Princess of Wales met large crowds of waving families in Italy as she embarked on her first trip abroad since her cancer diagnosis.

The 44-year-old eagerly sought out children as she spent time meeting locals in the heart of Reggio Emilia, beginning the global expansion of her mission to help the next generation of children.

The princess leaned down to talk to the little ones and introduced herself as ‘Caterina’ – the Italian version of Catherine – before trying more of the local language.

“Parlo un po’ d’italiano,” said the princess, telling the children that she spoke only a little Italian.

‘Come ti chiami? Io sono Caterina,” she said, asking their names before introducing herself.

On her first day in the city, Kate wore a light blue trouser suit from Edeline Lee, a London-based Canadian fashion designer, and charm pendants from Asprey featuring an acorn and oak leaf which also appear on the family crest.

The meet and greet took place in Piazza Camillo Prampolini, where an estimated 3,000 people came to see the princess before she was officially welcomed to the northern Italian region by the mayor.

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At the Town Hall, Catherine received the city’s highest award, the ‘Primo Tricolore’, in recognition of her work in the first five years of a child’s life. She was taken to the Sala del Tricolore room where the design for the modern Italian flag was made in 1797.

She returned to the town square for a second walk, where the princess stopped to meet three-month-old Elena, whose mother held her over the barrier.

The Princess of Wales is in Reggio Emilia to learn about her approach to the early years – the period from birth to five years old – which was developed in the city after the Second World War and has worked for generations to prioritize early childhood.

The two-day visit is a research trip with the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood, launched by the Princess in 2021. Kate wants to learn from the systems in place within Reggio Emilia and how caregivers there support young children.

Kate has made early childhood the cornerstone of her work in the Royal Family over the past decade, with an emphasis on first five years of a child’s life – a crucial developmental period that has the potential to change the fate of future generations.

The tour also marks a major milestone in her recovery and marks a return to official overseas travel for the Princess.

Kate previously visited Denmark to learn how the Scandinavian country has done pioneering work to give babies a better start in life. That visit, in 2022, was the princess’s last solo tour outside Britain.

Her time in Italy is short but important and is expected to be the first of other overseas trips this year and next.

While there, she met three local nonnas: grandmothers born around World War II and who are believed to have played a key role in creating the early childhood philosophy that the princess will see in Italy.

The princess’s first day in the region included a visit to the Loris Malaguzzi International Center, where she worked with children to make clay models.

“It encourages kids today to slow down because their world is changing so quickly now,” she said.

“It makes them notice things, including in their sensory environment.”

Kate mentioned her own three children Prince George12, Princess Charlotte11, and Prince Louiseight, when she was shown a table covered in colored plastic objects to play with.

“I did this in lockdown with the kids,” she said. “We tried to find as many objects in the house with as many colors in the rainbow as possible.”

Her third and final engagement of the day was a visit to a daycare center, Scuola Comunale d’infanzia Anna Frank.

“These are really special places and very special environments,” the princess said.

“If only more educational institutions had this approach.”

Wednesday wasn’t Kate’s first time in Italy. When she was 18, the then Kate Middleton studied art history in Florence at the British Institute for three months.

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