The next two days will mark a major milestone in Catherine's recovery and royal career

ANALYSIS – – The next two days will mark a new era for the Princess of Wales as she begins what will be a crucial next stage of her royal career.

Two years on from her cancer diagnosis, Catherine is leaving the UK for her first tour abroad.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the 44-year-old will be in northern Italy as part of her work in early childhood.

The tour signifies a major milestone in her recovery, heralding a return to official overseas travel for the princess.

It was on March 22, 2024, when Catherine sat on a bench within the gardens of her Windsor home and told the world she had been diagnosed with cancer.

Emotional and looking weary, but with a quiet determination, she spoke honestly about her fears for the future and what her illness meant for her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The diagnosis came less than two months after she had planned abdominal surgery at the London Clinic, with doctors later recommending preventative chemotherapy after tests revealed cancer had been present.

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Six months later, Kate confirmed she had finished chemotherapy and said she was "doing what I can to stay cancer free".

The princess said she had entered "a new phase of recovery" and that her illness had given her a "new perspective on everything".

In the same year that King Charles had also been diagnosed with cancer, the Princess of Wales took a step back from her public duties to focus on her health and family.

In January 2025, Kate visited the London hospital where she had received her chemotherapy treatment in private, and later revealed she was in remission.

It was the princess's first solo engagement of the year and marked the beginning of a new direction in her royal career, focusing on the issues that matter the most to her.

Since then, Kate has resumed a near-normal – and very busy – schedule of official engagements.

From the most high-profile events including Trooping the Colour, Buckingham Palace garden parties, Wimbledon and Commonwealth Day to the smaller, but no less significant, engagements, the princess has defied all expectations.

The only thing that had been absent from her work diary was overseas travel.

Until now.

Her two-day visit to Italy will be the princess' first foreign tour in nearly three-and-a-half years.

Kate previously visited Denmark to learn how the Scandinavian country has pioneered efforts to give infants a better start in life. That visit, in 2022, was the princess' last solo tour outside of the UK.

The last time she and Prince William embarked on a major tour together was to the Caribbean in March 2022 to celebrate the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

The couple also spent three days in Boston in December 2022, for William's Earthshot Prize.

Kate's short but significant visit to Italy is expected to be the first of other overseas travels this year and next.

Rumours of a long-awaited tour to Australia have been brewing for some time now and that visit is likely to happen in late 2026 or early to mid-2027, possibly around the Easter holidays to accommodate Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis' schooling needs.

A gruelling royal tour to a destination involving a long flight is the ultimate test of endurance, as King Charles showed in October 2025 when he and Queen Camilla visited Sydney and Canberra.

It is no surprise Kate has chosen Reggio Emilia, in Italy, for her return to foreign travel. While not a long flight from London, the itinerary will be jam-packed.

The visit is being done in support of her ongoing work into the first five years of a child's life – a crucial period of development that has potential to change the fortunes of future generations.

The Princess of Wales has made early childhood the cornerstone of her work in the royal family over the past decade.

She's dedicated her time to focus on the period from birth to five years old, which experts now agree is critical to building happy, healthy adults.

The princess is travelling to the region for a research trip with her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, launched in 2021.

The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood is now expanding globally and Kate is looking to learn from the systems in place within Reggio Emilia and how carers there are supporting young children.

The so-called Reggio Emilia approach is a recognised philosophy in early childhood education which places relationships and environment at the heart of bringing up a child.

Last week, Kate launched new resource for families, professionals and volunteers who work with babies and young children.

The issue of helping the youngest members of society, and those who care for them, has been described as the princess' "life's work".

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Inside Kate's Together at Christmas carol service for 2024

Two years on from what was arguably her most grounding experience, the Princess of Wales is finally able to spread her wings even further.

And with more trips abroad on the horizon, Kate is forging ahead and redefining a new era in royal duty by doing things at her own pace, putting children and family firmly at the heart of everything she does.

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