The Tamesis
Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, arrives in Reggio Emilia, a city built on exceptionally fertile, nutrient-rich land that makes Emilia-Romagna one of Italy’s great gastronomic regions. It is also the birthplace of a different approach to education: the Reggio Emilia approach, one of the world’s most influential educational philosophies, which believes that children are active participants in their own learning and that every child has unlimited potential. This is where Kate came in when she launched the Royal Early Childhood Trust Center in June 2021. “The visit is part of a high-level fact-finding mission to explore leading international approaches to supporting young children and those who care for them,” a Buckingham Palace statement said, adding that it would be “a powerful starting point” for the princess to take her mission global.
However, the trip is significant for another reason: It marks Kate Middleton’s first international tour since traveling to Boston for the Earthshot Awards in December 2022, marking a significant acceleration of her return to full-time work after announcing her cancer was in remission earlier this year. Over the next 48 hours, Kate will take part in a series of events, starting with meeting key figures who helped shape Reggio’s philosophy after the Second World War and the civic leaders who continue this work today, then visiting two pre-schools and ending with lunch in a country farmhouse. There she will spend time with local families and possibly sample Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar and Parma ham, which by law can only be produced in the region.
Photo: Getty Images
One might expect the princess’s attire to be more diplomatic than La Dolce Vita – which is perhaps more in keeping with the brief time she spent in Florence during her gap year in 2000, when she studied Renaissance art history at the British Academy. Think of the maple leaf brooch she wore when visiting Canada in 2011, the sky-blue sweater she chose in support of Ukraine in 2022, or more recently, the deep pink Dior Bar jacket she wore in 2025 when President Macron and Brigitte Macron kicked off a state visit. Never one to shy away from re-dressing, Kate’s wardrobe is already stocked with Italian designers: a polka-dot Alessandra Rich dress, a Gucci midi skirt and the queen-to-be’s Gianvito Rossi pumps. Scroll through the gallery below to see the princess’s Reggio Emilia-inspired look.
