The events of the past month have shone a spotlight on the Prince and Princess of Wales’s work-shy ways. First there was the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s successful Australian trip, which the royal system tried to sabotage, to no avail. Then there was Prince Harry’s Ukrainian visit, giving a keynote speech at an important security conference in Kyiv, spending time with Ukrainian veterans and active servicemen, and highlighting the ongoing work of The Halo Trust. After that, King Charles – a 77-year-old with cancer – completed a six-day state visit to the US and Bermuda. That entire time, Prince William and Kate were either on vacation or doing random busywork. Well, it’s looking more and more like William is putting his foot down about traveling for work. So it’s left to poor Kate and her pack-and-go doll wig.
Kate Middleton is set for a royal visit abroad. On May 5, the Princess of Wales announced she will visit Italy from May 13 to May 14, marking her first work trip overseas since announcing her cancer diagnosis in 2024.
Kate, 44, spent much of that year out of the public eye amid her treatment and recovery, and she returned to a fuller schedule of duties after announcing she was in remission in early 2025.
Princess Kate’s two-day visit to Reggio Emilia in northern Italy is tied to one of her key causes: early childhood. She sees the trip as a fact-finding mission, and she will spend time digging into Reggio Emilia’s internationally recognized approach to early childhood education. Seeing it as a “significant next step” for her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, Kate will spend time with educators, parents, children and civic and business leaders to see the work in action, her office at Kensington Palace says.
“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,” her spokesperson said in a statement.
On May 6, the Princess of Wales will step out at the University of East London to launch a new guide to help those working with the youngest children. Published by The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, Foundations for Life: A Guide to Social and Emotional Development highlights the “vital role of loving, responsive relationships in shaping children’s lifelong health and well-being,” Kate’s office says, and it will be published on a new hub on the Centre for Early Childhood’s website, so that professionals in the sector can access it.
“…Marking her first work trip overseas since announcing her cancer diagnosis in 2024…” Operative words: “work trip.” Kate has traveled out of the UK a half-dozen times (at least) since her 2024 disappearance, it’s just that those travels were for vacations. She went to Greece last summer, she’s taken several ski trips, and in February 2025, William and Kate skipped the BAFTAs because they went to Mustique. I also think it’s curious that Kate is going solo for some bigger appearances, like Anzac Day and now this visit to Italy. Also: there’s a growing body of evidence that the diplomats in the Foreign Office are ripping out their hair over Will and Kate’s refusal to regularly travel for anything other than vacations.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
