The Princess of Wales touched down in Reggio Emilia on Wednesday for the first day of her two-day visit to Italy—her first solo trip abroad in nearly three years, and her first overseas engagement since her cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Kate looked striking in a cornflower blue trouser suit by British designer Edeline Lee, which she paired with a blue Asprey London handbag, a white Holland Cooper bodysuit, tan Ralph Lauren pumps, and pearl jewellery. (As usual, the full breakdown of every piece, where it’s from, and the symbolism behind the styling choices is further down the page.)
Palace aides framed the trip to Italy as a “hugely significant moment” for the Princess.
They’ve described the trip as “a high-level fact-finding mission” to build on the Centre’s Shaping Us Framework, which launched in February 2025.
The choice of Reggio Emilia is no accident. The northern Italian city is internationally recognised for its pioneering approach to early childhood education—one that places relationships, environment and community at the centre of a child’s development.
This approach is a student-centered and constructivist self-guided curriculum that uses self-directed, experiential learning in relationship-driven environments. The programme is based on the principles of respect, responsibility and community through exploration, discovery and play.
Wikipedia
The philosophy aligns closely with the Princess’s own views on the early years.
The trip began at Reggio Emilia’s town hall, where Mayor Marco Massari welcomed the Princess.
The pair proceeded to his office for an official meeting with civic leaders, where they discussed the Reggio Emilia approach to childhood development.
Kate was also presented with the ‘Primo Tricolore’, the highest honour in the city.
After, the Princess met with some of the well-wishers gathered outside at the Piazza Camillo Prampolini.
She received a few floral gifts, posed for selfies, and hugged members of the public.
Around 20 children from the local Pre-School were also patiently waiting in the square. Kate crouched to chat to them in Italian, asking a few basic questions.
Five-year-old Alice said the Princess spoke the language “very well”. Her teacher, Roberta, said Kate’s Italian was “perfect”, adding that she spoke “very clearly”.
I expect the Princess remembers some phrases from the time she spent in the country during her gap year in 2000, before starting St Andrews University (where she later met Prince William). The then Miss Middleton attended a course at the British Institute in Florence and spent a little time learning Italian in Tuscany.
The Princess’s next engagement took place at the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, the principal hub for the promotion and teaching of the Reggio Emilia Approach.
The Loris Malaguzzi International Centre is a place for meeting and discussion to reflect on the contemporary nature of school and educational culture in Reggio Emilia, Italy and around the world.
It is a space open to all ages, ideas and different cultures, which, based on the experience of municipal infant-toddler centres and preschools, produces research, innovation and experimentation on educational contents and processes related to people aged 0-99.
Kate met educators and practitioners and learned more about the philosophy and principles that underpin this globally respected educational model.
She also took part in an immersive workshop led by atelierista (“art educator”) Marco Spaggiari, and got hands-on creating with clay.
Spaggiari told PEOPLE that the Princess greeted everybody in Italian and asked a lot of “beautiful questions” about the organisation. “We were talking in a really relaxed way”, he added.
Before leaving, Kate met with a group of women who’d taken the philosophy to South America and heard how the new way of teaching and learning had impacted the education system there.
The women presented Kate with a rebozo, a traditional shawl-like garment associated with motherhood and childbirth.
The Princess headed to ‘Scuola Comunale d’Infanzia Anna Frank’, for her third and final stop of the day.
Anna Frank is a local pre-school, designed for children aged three to six.
Kate was introduced to members of the school community in the central piazza before visiting a classroom, where she spoke to teachers and parents.
She also visited the school’s atelier, where the in-house atelieristas led a creative session with a small group of children.
During the activity, Kate spotted the word “Lupo” (Italian for “Wolf”) written on a piece of paper, which led to a brief conversation about her black English Cocker Spaniel, who passed away in 2020:
“Our dog was called Lupo. We had a dog that was called Lupo,” the Princess of Wales said with a smile as she raised her hand to her chest.
Princess Kate nodded yes when someone off-camera asked if she knew the Italian meaning of the pup’s name, but she clarified that his name was a bit of a misnomer!
“I guess he was a big dog?” asked a voice behind the camera. “No, he wasn’t actually,” Kate said with a laugh and used her hands to show how big Lupo was.
“He had a big personality,” she added.
PEOPLE
Let’s begin the fashion deep dive now.
Kate’s ensemble in Reggio Emilia, Italy:
The Princess stuck to her tried-and-tested ‘uniform’ for the Reggio Emilia engagements: a relaxed trouser suit paired with a sleek shirt and a pointed heel. The Princess does favour a trouser suit for Early Years Centre work.
I think the slightly looser style and flowing, drapy fabric ensure Kate looks trendy and approachable. Not stiff and corporate.
To me, the look says: “Yes, I’m in another suit, yes, I’m in business mode. BUT this is not run-of-the-mill. I’m in Italy. This look is elevated, it’s fashionable.”
The suit is by Edeline Lee. Specifically, the Princess wears the British designer’s “Lola” jacket paired with the “Averill” trousers, both shown below. They’re crafted from a cornflower blue georgette champion fabric.
The colour? A possible nod to her Italian hosts. I’d say it fits within the Blu Savoia family—the ‘royal’ colour historically associated with Italy’s national identity (and you might recognise it as the colour of the Azzurri football kit). The Savoia shade is a richer, darker blue than Kate’s cornflower, but I think it still works. Blue is also a colour shared with the British flag, the Union Jack.
Beyond diplomacy, the blue is also just a fresh, fashion-forward shade for spring. It’s also more interesting than a classic navy, grey, camel or black—lifting the look out of boring business-suit territory.
And here’s another lovely detail that links the look to the country she’s visiting: the suit’s fabric is woven in Italy!
From the front, the single-breasted jacket looks simple and classic. But the back tells another story. It is cinched and ruched, designed to create a sort of peplum effect.
The garment is finished with Lee’s signature hand-covered buttons in contrasting white. RRP £1,400.
The trousers are high-waisted, fit at the hip, and feature a pin tuck pleat down the centre. They have pockets on the front and back. RRP £650.
Each item is hand-crafted in England and made-to-order in 3-4 weeks.
The suit comes in three other colourways: navy, grey and black. The trousers are also available in brown.
Let’s look at Kate’s handbag now. I quite like that it sits within the blue family, but isn’t an exact match to the suit. It’s by Asprey London, the 167 Micro Mini Handbag in a pastel sky blue hue.
The compact, trapezium-shaped bag has a flap front decorated with silver-branded hardware.
This particular colour is not listed on Asprey’s site at present; a Vestiaire Collective listing (below) shows that it must be from a past season style.
The lighter ‘icing blue’ variation of the bag retails for £3,150 on Asprey’s website at present
Let’s look at some of Kate’s more familiar pieces, now. Let’s start with her “shirt”. It’s actually a bodysuit, and it’s from Holland Cooper, another British brand.
The Princess wears the brand’s Cupro Shirt Bodysuit in White. The £149 piece features a V-neckline with clean-cut lapels, a French-seamed collar and an inverted dart pleat on the back. It features Holland Cooper’s distinctive buttons on the shoulders and cuffs.
Kate’s owned the piece since 2021. She regularly wears it underneath suits.
Let’s move on to her shoes now. Of course, Kate had to wear a pair of Italian-made heels for this visit. She opted for her Ralph Lauren pumps—the Celia style in Golden Brown.
The shoe is almost certainly a current favourite; the Princess has worn them repeatedly over the past year. She debuted them in 2020 and has worn them 14 times to date, with nine of those outings in the past 12 months alone.
The warm tan colour provided a grounding neutral against the all-blue suit. It’s a slight deviation from what we might have expected her to wear with this suit—she typically opts for monochrome tones—I would have expected a similar blue tone, or even navy. The tan feels a little fresher, more considered. I do love Kate’s tone-on-tone looks—but it’s nice to see something different.
The shoe features a sharp pointed toe, padded leather insole and 4-inch heel.
They originally retailed for $675. Sadly, they’re from a past season and no longer available to buy.
Let’s finish up with Kate’s jewellery now. I’ll start with her necklace.
The Princess decided to add her Asprey London “woodland” charms onto her Monica Vinader “Nura” pearl necklace.
Kate’s been wearing the charms since 2014—she debuted them during an overseas tour, coincidentally (her 2014 visit to Australia). There’s an acorn ($4150), an oak leaf ($2,800) and a mushroom ($7,350—total charm value: roughly $14,300). They’re made from 18ct yellow gold and feature diamonds.
She added the charms to the 18ct gold-plated vermeil chain by Monica Vinader, which features a baroque freshwater pearl pendant.
This necklace also has a link to a previous overseas visit: Kate debuted it in Denmark on a visit with the Centre for Early Childhood in 2022—Kate’s last major solo European trip. (Bar her trip to Marseille to watch the Rugby World Cup in 2023.) This is only the fifth time we’ve seen the Princess wear the necklace to date.
At £144 for the set (£75 pendant + £69 chain), this is one of the most accessible pieces in Kate’s jewellery box.
Let’s finish by looking at one of the hardest-working pairs of earrings Kate owns now. She’s worn them more than 70 times to date since their debut in 2012.
This pair of earrings combines two British jewellers: Annoushka for the baroque pearl (£450) drops and Kiki McDonough for the gold and diamond hoops (£1,000).
We believe the diamond hoops were repurposed from another pair of earrings Kate owns, with a detachable green amethyst drop. Each hoop is crafted from 18ct gold and is set with tiny diamonds.
I expect the pearls in both ears and at the neck to be a deliberate styling choice, not a coincidence. I suspect the Princess chose these pieces to echo the white buttons on her jacket.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more coverage of the Princess’s second day in Italy—and of course, a look at her outfit. What are we thinking for tomorrow? Red? Some Italian brands?
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