Cancer has made the Princess of Wales more determined than ever to make her dream a reality

The princess announced she was in remission 15 months ago, and this week's trip to Italy, her first official visit, is no doubt a big moment for the future queen.

An aide to the Princess of Wales tells me: "[This visit] is an important step in the princess’s recovery journey. She takes great joy from this work.

"I think it is only right that her first international trip since her illness is one that is focused on an issue that is committed to championing for decades to come, and is a real issue that she wants to shine a spotlight on."

The importance of early childhood development is something Catherine has championed for over a decade.

She initially launched her Centre for Early Childhood to highlight scientific research that shows some of society's biggest social issues, addiction, mental health and family breakdowns, often stem from a poor start in life.

Christian Guy, Executive Director for the Royal Foundation's Centre for Early Childhood, said: "From pregnancy to the age of five, children’s brains are developing at an extraordinary rate, forming the connections that will underpin how they think, feel, relate to others and navigate the world for the rest of their lives.

"More than one million connections form every second during that period, and brain reaches 90 per cent of its adult size by age five."

In other words, getting the first five years of a child's life right is crucial for their social and emotional development, increasing the chances for them to become healthy and happy adults.

The princess's arrival in the Italian city of Reggio Emilia on Wednesday is part of her "global mission", we're told.

An aide said: "She wants to look at other models around the world and really create a global conversation."

The city's educational philosophy encourages young children to be active, competent and curious learners, rather than passive.

The progressive practice, which originated shortly after World War Two, is now a world-leading ethos.

I understand that the Princess of Wales, having deeply researched the Reggio Emilia approach, instructed her team to make arrangements for a visit, an indicator that she is the driving force for much of the Centre's work.

Since her cancer treatment, her team at Kensington Palace told me they have noticed a different pace and gear compared to pre-2024.

Her illness was arguably life-changing, but now she is focused on the future with a new determination to lead a global conversation around early childhood.

With a Government back home in turmoil, it is unclear how much of a close eye it is keeping on the princess's high-profile visit overseas.

Whitehall departments, in general, are understood to be interested in learning more about the princess's early childhood work, but sources close to her stress she remains firmly out of politics.

This was not a Government-sanctioned trip; Catherine personally requested to go on the fact-finding mission, a different kind of international trip to the so-called royal charm offensives.

Despite this, large crowds of Italians are expected in Reggio Emilia over the next few days to welcome Britain's future queen, so relations between the two nations could be strengthened by Her Royal Highness's soft power.

The princess's goal is to one day make the issue of early childhood as mainstream as climate change.

Just as her husband, Prince William, highlights different solutions to repair the planet through his Earthshot Prize, Catherine has ambitions to highlight successful approaches to raising children around the world.

Can her Centre for Early Childhood create tangibly better societal outcomes around the world? The jury is out on this one.

However, it is understood that the princess's visit to Reggio Emilia is the first of many international trips being planned.

Kensington Palace is keeping tight-lipped on where she plans to take her new global mission in the future.