The Princess of Wales will step back on to the international stage on Wednesday, with a trip to the Italian city of Reggio Emilia, in a personal landmark in her recovery from cancer.
"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," said an aide to the princess.
It is more than three years since Catherine's last official visit overseas - and the focus of her return trip is her early years education campaign.
She wants this now to be a "global mission" and the city was chosen because of its distinctive approach to early years learning.
Her trip to the Italian city could be the first in a series of international trips to places which have developed their own approaches to helping children in their early years.
"She wants to look at other models around the world and really create a global conversation," said the aide to the princess.
"It is only right that her first international trip since her illness is one that is focused on an issue that she is committed to championing for decades to come," they added.
The trip will see the princess visiting educators, parents and children at schools and projects in Reggio Emilia, a city in northern Italy, about 45 miles (72.5km) west of Bologna.
Catherine, one of the most popular members of the Royal Family, is also likely to draw crowds in this historic Italian city. Public fascination for her has shown no signs of fading - and now once again she will appear before an international audience.
These will be first overseas crowds she will have seen since visiting Boston with her husband Prince William in December 2022.
Since then she faced a cancer diagnosis and talked about the good days and bad days of her treatment and revealed in January 2025 that she was in remission.
This trip marks another important step back to full royal duties, with this being described as "taking it up a gear".
"She's looking forward to being here, she's energised, she's enthused, she's excited to see Reggio Emilia in action and meet the people here too," said a royal aide.
Catherine was also said to have many happy memories of Italy, having spent part of a gap year in Florence after leaving school.
She launched her Centre for Early Childhood in 2021, which explores how difficult adult problems, including addiction and mental health issues, can have deep roots in early childhood.
During her two-day trip to Reggio Emilia the princess will hear about the city's approach to child development - known as the Reggio Emilia approach - which puts an emphasis on relationships and children learning through play.
She will be accompanied on this fact-finding trip by Christian Guy, executive director of the Centre for Early Childhood, who explained its longer-term significance.
"What matters most in that period is not just what children learn, but how they experience the people and the world around them," he said.
"This especially includes the quality of their relationships, the environments they grow up in, and the sense of safety, connection and expression they are able to develop."
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