Catherine, Princess of Wales, to travel to Italy in first overseas royal engagement since cancer treatment

Catherine, Princess of Wales, visits Sudbury Silk Mills in Sudbury, England, on Sept. 11, 2025. Catherine, Princess of Wales, is set to make her first official overseas trip since recovering from cancer. (Arthur Edwards/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Catherine, Princess of Wales, is set to make her first official overseas trip since recovering from cancer.

The royal is expected to travel to Italy next week for a two-day solo working trip with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, according to Kensington Palace.

Catherine launched the foundation in 2021 to raise awareness of the impact experiences in early childhood can have on later life outcomes.

Between next Wednesday and Thursday, the princess will spend time in the northern Italian city of Reggio Emilia to explore internationally leading approaches to supporting young children and their carers, the palace said in a statement shared with CNN on Wednesday.

The city is known worldwide for its trademarked educational philosophy, the Reggio Emilia Approach, which views children as active, central figures in their own learning, and believes educational centers should tailor to children’s different ways of thinking and communicating.

Catherine will meet with educators, parents, children, and community and business leaders to see the Reggio Emilia Approach in action, according to Kensington Palace.

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“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,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said in the statement.

The visit will mark Catherine’s first international trip since 2022, when she appeared with William, Prince of Wales, in Boston, Massachusetts, for the Earthshot Prize Awards.

Catherine spent much of 2024 dealing with health challenges, but she revealed in January last year that she is in remission from cancer, months after completing her chemotherapy.

Speaking to patients at Colchester Hospital in southeast England in July, Catherine described the phase after cancer treatment as “really difficult,” adding that “you’re not able to function normally at home as you perhaps once used to.”

The princess has, however, slowly been returning to her royal duties, with trips around the U.K.

By Amarachi Orie, CNN