'Ciao Kate': Crowds cheer Catherine's comeback tour to Italy
The Princess of Wales received an enthusiastic welcome from Italian crowds, on her return to overseas visits following her treatment for cancer.
There were shouts and cheers for Catherine, and a home-made poster reading "Ciao Kate", as she appeared in a picturesque piazza in Reggio Emilia.
During a walkabout in warm sunshine, she shook hands and posed for selfies, with a noisy crowd holding up babies and flowers, but mostly their phones to capture the moment.
It is more than three years since Catherine last appeared at such an event overseas, but she has clearly kept her box office appeal, with the public vying with photographers to elbow their way to catch a glimpse.
The princess looked relaxed and waved at the lively crowds as she arrived in the town square, a sunny piazza lined with crumbling, gelato-coloured medieval and renaissance buildings.
The princess was getting a movie star welcome, with banks of photographers, crowds pressed against barriers and people watching from windows around the square.
In Reggio Emilia the visit brought together the three sides of a royal tour - huge numbers of police, encampments of journalists and enthusiastic crowds.
"Catherine is very popular here in Italy," more so than other royals, said Paolo Rosato of the local paper, Il Resto del Carlino.
He said the Italian public see echoes of Diana, a previous Princess of Wales. "They see Kate as a story that follows Diana," he said.
Michael Cocchi, who had come from nearby Parma, brought flowers, and said: "I think the Royal Family still has an important role in British culture."
Catherine has been campaigning to raise awareness about the importance of early years education and Reggio Emilia was chosen as the destination for this trip because of the city's support for children's first years.
This could be the first in a series of international visits 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.
At the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, the princess met educators who told her more about the Reggio Emilia approach, with its emphasis on children's relationships and learning through play.
"I have learnt so much. It has been really inspiring," the princess said to staff. She also tried out her Italian language skills on some of the children, having learned some Italian during a gap year in Florence after leaving school.
Catherine was also shown another of Reggio Emilia's claims to fame - as the birthplace of Italy's red, white and green flag, when she visited the Sala del Tricolore in the town hall.
It echoed the French revolutionary tricolour - and the city's education project has its roots in a traditionally left-wing part of Italy.
The square where she carried out her walkabout, the Piazza Camillo Prampolini, was named after a Socialist mayor and newspaper editor who had been persecuted by Fascists.
The thousands of well-wishers in the piazza were the 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 has talked about the good days and bad days of her treatment. She revealed that she was in remission in January 2025.
This trip marks another important step back to full royal duties for Catherine, with this being described as "taking it up a gear".
"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 the aide.
Catherine 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.
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