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The Princess of Wales will travel to Italy next week in her first solo overseas trip in over four years as she expands her early years work internationally. Catherine, who has been in remission from cancer for over a year and has not travelled abroad with royal duties since her diagnosis, is said to be looking forward to getting back to working overseas.

The two-day trip marks the next phase of her mission to highlight the importance of a child's first five years, which has been described by aides as her "life's work". They added that it was an important moment in the expansion of her Centre for Early Childhood's work on a global stage.

Catherine, 44, last travelled overseas with work in December 2022 when she went to Boston, USA, with her husband for his Earthshot Prize award ceremony. She has also conducted two brief trips to Marseille, France, for the Rugby World Cup in the autumn of 2023 and went to the Crown Prince of Jordan's wedding in Amman in June 2023, however these are not considered official foreign tours.

Her last official solo visit was in February 2022 to Copenhagen, Denmark, which was also focused on her work on early childhood.

Catherine will visit the city of Reggio Emilia in northern Italy from May 13-14 where she will spend time with educators, parents, children and business leaders.

Described as a fact-finding mission by Kensington Palace, the princess will seek to better understand the philosophical depth of the Reggio Emilia approach, which is internationally recognised for placing relationships, environment and community at the heart of a child's development.

The Reggio approach also emphasises nature as the third teacher alongside caregivers and the environment that surround the child, which is part of the reason Catherine has been drawn to the approach.

Nature has long been something the princess has championed, especially since her cancer diagnosis in early 2024 as she found spending time outdoors helped her while she was undergoing chemotherapy.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said: "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.

"As the Centre for Early Childhood continues to build its work internationally, this visit is an opportunity to connect the Shaping Us Framework with leading global approaches, and to highlight a shared understanding, that it is in these early years, through the natural world and the warmth of human connection, that we begin to lay the foundations for a resilient and healthy future."

Catherine launched the centre in 2021 to raise awareness of the importance of early years experiences in shaping society over the long term, and to commission research.

The trip to Italy next week also aims to build on the Centre's Shaping Us Framework, launched in February 2025, which sets out 30 key social and emotional skills that underpin lifelong wellbeing.

The announcement coincides with a visit by the Princess to the University of East London today for the the launch of the Centre's new Foundations for Life guide.

Grounded in science and developed with leading experts and practitioners, the guide provides a practical resource designed to strengthen understanding of social and emotional development across the early years system.

The 109-page guide highlights the vital role of loving, responsive relationships in shaping children's lifelong health and wellbeing and is aimed at both practitioners and volunteers.

Palace aides said both the publication and the trip signalled a milestone moment for the princess and the centre's work in early years both in the UK and abroad.

In its foreword, Catherine writes: "While our society often focuses on academic or physical milestones, research consistently shows that it is our earliest relationships, experiences and environments which lay the foundations for our future health and happiness.

"The quality of our connections - with ourselves, with others and with the world around us - shapes how safe we feel, how we relate, and how we process experiences throughout our lives."

The princess' return to foreign tours will raise hopes that Catherine may join her on his upcoming trips. He is expected to travel to the US for the FIFA World Cup in July, which coincides with the commemorations of the 250th anniversary of American independence, and to India in the autumn for his annual Earthshot Prize awards.

The couple's last major trip abroad was their controversial trip to the Caribbean in March 2022 to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.