By SILVIA STELLACCI and DANICA KIRKA Associated Press
REGGIO EMILIA, Italy (AP) — Britain’s Princess Catherine made her first overseas trip since announcing her cancer was in remission, traveling to Italy on Wednesday for a two-day tour focused on an early childhood educational approach that was developed here and exported globally.
A crowd welcomed the princess, commonly known as Kate, as she arrived at city hall in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy to learn about its eponymous child-centered approach to early educatio n. The trip is part of what her office called an international “fact-finding mission” to explore different approaches to supporting young children and their carers.
The Reggio Emilia approach is based on the idea that young children have many different ways of thinking, understanding and expressing themselves, and that teachers need to work with their students to help them learn.
“It is extraordinary and that is why I wanted to come and visit Reggio Emilia because your history is so rich and I have always been fascinated by the philosophy,” the princess said as she began her program.
The choice of destination for Kate’s first trip abroad since her 2024 cancer diagnosis is no coincidence as early years development is the signature cause of the mother of three who will one day be queen.
“She wants to make a point that she is going to keep making this her cause,” said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine.
Her visit will highlight the idea that the environment and human relationships that surround children are crucial to laying the foundations for a resilient and healthy future, Kensington Palace said in a statement.
“The Reggio Emilia approach clearly suits the narrative at the start of international operations,” Little said.
The visit is part of her work with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which she founded in 2021 to increase public understanding of the importance of supporting children in the first five years of life.
One of Britain’s most popular royals, the Princess of Wales has proved to be adept at focusing attention on matters she cares about.
When Kate announced that she had completed chemotherapy treatment in a soft-focus, Insta-ready video, she ventured into realms not previously inhabited by the royal family, whose members traditionally shied away from talking about their health.
And she did it in a new way, using social media to share the fact that for all her wealth and privilege, her life had been upended by cancer, like so many others.
Then, later, when she announced she was in remission, she spent the day supporting other cancer patients at the hospital where she received treatment.
In a statement on social media, she offered her thanks to everyone who helped her and her husband, Prince William, as they navigated the ups and downs of treatment and recovery. She hugged patients at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London and described her own treatment as “exceptional.”
“It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery,” the princess, now 44, wrote in a note signed with her initial, C. “As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal.”
Her new normal involves becoming the go-to advocate for early years education, which refers to the learning and development of children from birth to five years of age.
There’s lots to do in Britain, where advocates say there aren’t enough spaces to go around and many teachers don’t have the training they need.
Edoardo Masset, associate research director at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, said Kate’s focus on early childhood development is important because it brings attention to an issue that really matters to children.
“This relationship between early years education and success later in life is supported not only by strong theoretical arguments, but also by a large body of evidence on the effectiveness of programs for preschool children,” Masset said in a blog post.
In Reggio Emilia on Wednesday, residents said they were honored the princess had chosen their city and its public preschools for her first visit since her remission. Francesca Valli was waiting for her and is a teacher of the Reggio Emilia approach.
“I also feel very honored to be here, almost as a representative of my school,” she said. “For her first visit — and, among other things, her first solo visit after a long illness — the princess has made a very judicious, appropriate, and well-considered choice, and this certainly does her honor.”
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Kirka reported from London.