The Princess of Wales could have established a new “blueprint” for royal visits with her recent trip to Italy, according to royal expert Emily Andrews. Kate spent two days in Reggio Emilia in Italy learning about their world-leading approach to the early years and this was the Princess’s first overseas visit since 2023. It was also a solo trip and Emily believes that this might be the new norm for the Prince and Princess of Wales.
“I think this trip is interesting because it’s definitely a blueprint for the future because it’s a two-day trip and it ticked off a lot of her interest points,” she explained on her podcast, Catching Up With The Royals. “But we haven’t actually seen William and Catherine together on a tour since the Platinum Jubilee tour to the Caribbean.”
(Image credit: Photo by Jordan Pettitt via Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty)
As the royal expert and woman&home correspondent explained, this tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas attracted some controversy. Then over the past few years, the Princess was diagnosed and treated for cancer so overseas trips were understandably paused.
You may like
Emily pondered, “I wonder whether this Italian trip – causes very close to Catherine’s heart: children, mental health, nature, learning outdoors – is that going to be how they view it going forward in terms of, maybe, they’ll divide to conquer.”
She suggested that Kate and William could undertake “two or three day European trips” and maybe come together for a visit to a Commonwealth country. Her co-host Richard Coles commented that this approach would also suit the idea of a slimmed-down monarchy, as two of the most senior royals could be doing separate engagements.
(Image credit: Photo by Samir Hussein/Pool/WireImage via Getty)
This “blueprint” would also mean that one of them would always be home with Prince George, Charlotte and Louis. Being hands-on parents is hugely important to them and royal commentator Katie Nicholl said earlier this year that when a trip or engagement is planned, family is the first thing Kate and William consider is their family.
“From my conversations with aides, once a royal trip or engagement is planned, the first thing they ask before looking at the itinerary is, ‘How does this work for us as a family?'” she claimed.
It’s clear that more overseas trips are definitely going to be part of the family’s future. Following the future Queen’s visit to Italy, The Times has reported that she asked her team, “Where next?”
Meanwhile, a Kensington Palace spokesman declared that the Princess was “extremely inspired” by what she saw in Reggio Emilia and will be “really pushing the team to quickly find out where’s next on the map”.
(Image credit: Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
“This is the first chapter in a much broader global effort led by the Princess and the centre to identify hopeful, evidence-based approaches to raising the whole child, mind, body and spirit,” the statement added.
She and William’s approach as parents is also inspired by how important childhood is to the rest of someone’s life. The future King said as much when he appeared on The Reluctant Traveler last year, explaining, “If you don’t start the children off now with a happy, healthy, stable home, I feel you’re setting them up for a bit of a hard time and a fall.”
“So it’s about making sure we feel we can look after our family and our children in a way we feel is best for their future,” he declared.
TOPICS
Catherine, Princess of Wales