Inside Kate Middleton's Last Trip to Italy When She Was 18 Ahead of Her Royal Visit to Reggio Emilia

Kate Middleton is heading to Northern Italy in mid-May for her first official overseas working visit since announcing her cancer diagnosis in 2024, and it has been 26 years since her last trip to the European country. 

Before she was the Princess of Wales — or met her husband Prince William — Kate spent a gap year in Italy in 2000 when she was 18. After completing her high school studies at Marlborough College, she jetted off to Florence to study Italian and art history at the British Institute of Florence, the oldest overseas British cultural institute in the world.

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In addition to attending classes, Kate had a typical student experience touring historical landmarks and taking day trips around Italy. She also spent time having fun with her classmates at one of the city’s most popular bars, known as the Art Bar, in the Santa Maria Novella district. Known for its cocktails and cool vibes, it’s still a favorite of students and tourists. 

While Kate enjoyed evenings out, a friend from her gap year told The Daily Mirror she would “never ever let herself get out of control.”

“She would like a glass of wine but couldn’t really handle her drink,” the friend said. “She’d get giggly and silly after a few glasses, so then she would stop.”

As far as finding any love connections during her time abroad, another friend told OK! Magazine, Kate wasn’t interested. “Italian men can be quite persuasive, but Catherine would never overreact to compliments. She definitely was not a giggly sort of girl batting her eyelashes,” the second friend said. 

However, she was nursing a broken heart at that time in her life. According to royal biographer Katie Nicholl, Kate was “heartbroken” when her high school boyfriendHarry Blakelock broke up with her before her gap year.

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Kate’s 2000 trip to Italy was a lifetime ago, as she is now the Princess of Wales and married with three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. This time around, she will be going to Reggio Emilia in northern Italy on official Palace business from May 13 to May 14 to learn about early childhood education.

The royal sees learning the Reggio Emilia method as a “significant next step” for her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, her office at Kensington Palace told People. Kate will spend time with educators, parents, children, and civic and business leaders to see how they implement the method.

“The Princess is very much looking forward to visiting Italy next week and seeing first-hand how the Reggio Emilia approach creates environments where nature and loving human relationships come together to support children’s development,” her spokesperson said in a statement.

The Princess of Wales launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021, in an effort to use research-backed information to change how society views and prioritizes the first years of life.