The Princess of Wales has visited the Italian city of Reggio Emilia, renowned for its approach to early childhood education, on her first official ‌trip abroad since undergoing cancer treatment.

Hundreds of people gathered on Wednesday (local time) in the city’s main square, framed by mediaeval and Renaissance buildings, and in nearby streets to greet Kate. ‌

Some waved Union Jacks while others held a banner reading “Ciao Kate”.

Kate, the wife of heir-to-the-throne Prince William, was starting a two-day visit as part of her work focusing on childhood development, a central theme of her public work.

“Undoubtedly, this is a huge moment for the princess. There will be many highlights of 2026, but this being her first official international visit post her recovery, this is a really significant moment for her,” a royal aide said.

It is Kate’s first overseas royal visit in nearly four years, and the first since cancer diagnosis in 2024 led to almost a year out of the limelight.

Wearing a light blue trouser suit, the princess greeted children waiting for her outside the Town ​Hall.

“Buongiorno, what’s your name?” she asked a preschool girl in Italian, a city official said, recounting the exchange.

“My name is Camilla, and yours?” the child said.

“I’m Catherine,” the princess said — prompting a brief look of surprise before Camilla, who might have expected to hear the name Kate, said: “But she’s called Catherine.”

The visit will centre on the “Reggio Emilia approach”, which puts relationships, the environment and community at the heart of a child’s development.

Officials said Kate would meet administrators, ⁠teachers, parents and children, and focus on the historical roots of Reggio Emilia’s schools, ‌the role ​of women, the connection between nature and learning, and the local community’s involvement.

The princess wore a slim-line blue suit and brown heels. Photo: AAP

After World War II, residents of Reggio ​Emilia — many of them ‌women — helped finance some of Italy’s first nursery schools by selling scrap metal from military equipment abandoned by retreating German forces.

Pioneering schools ​for children under six took shape there decades before Italian legislation governing preschools was adopted in 1968.

The Princess of Wales views the Reggio Emilia approach to education. Photo: AAP

Kate is expected to visit two public pre-schools, where classrooms are organised around open communal spaces known as piazzas, with in-house ​kitchens ​and studios that encourage children to experiment with materials, colours ​and sounds.

The Princess of Wales will be joined by key figures ‌who helped develop the Reggio Emilia approach. They include Ione Bartoli, 95, who was a regional councillor in the 1970s.

“The princess’s visit is an honour and recognises what we in Reggio Emilia have achieved together for our children,” Bartoli said.

-AAP