Kate Middleton arrived in the piazza in front of the Duomo of Reggio Emilia on Tuesday, stepping into a city center that had been waiting since early morning for the royal visit. She was in Reggio Emilia for a two-day trip tied to her Royal Foundation for Early Childhood, and her plane had landed first at Parma airport before she reached Piazza Prampolini.

By around 8.30, followers of the British royal family were already packed into the square with flags, formal clothing and hats reminiscent of Queen Elizabeth. Admirers stood alongside representatives of the authorities of Reggio Emilia, members of the English embassy and foreign press, while two classes of 5-year-old children from the Robinson and Diana nursery schools were also present. At the window of the historic hat shop Duri, a group of elegant English visitors in hats and veils watched the scene unfold.

The square itself had been dressed for the occasion. Flags of Italy, Great Britain and Europe hung from the balcony of the municipal palace, where Middleton was expected to receive the Primo Tricolore from Mayor Marco Massari and Prefect Salvatore Angieri later the same day. The city’s preparation was visible long before she arrived, and so was the level of anticipation. The royal family’s social channels and the princess’s foundation both posted images of Reggio Emilia and its nursery schools, along with the message in Italian: “Oggi. Sostenere l'importanza della presenza e della connessione nei primi anni di vita a Re.”

That public warmth came before the hard edges of security. Around 10, Piazza Prampolini was completely emptied and the perimeter cleared as people were moved away ahead of checks with metal detectors. Barriers went up, the crowd was pushed back and the square that had been full of flags and cameras became a controlled space for the rest of the royal program. The contrast was sharp: a city eager to show its welcome, and a visit that could proceed only once the crowd was gone.

The scene reflected why Reggio Emilia mattered for this stop. The visit was built around early childhood, and the Robinson and Diana nursery schools, described as two of the most historic schools in the Reggio Children system, were already part of the story before Middleton arrived. The princess’s foundation has made that phase of life central to its work, and Reggio Emilia gave that message a stage with families, teachers and children already in place. By the time she reached Piazza Prampolini, the city had already answered the question of interest: it was not treating the visit as ceremony alone, but as a chance to put its model of early education in front of the royal family and the wider public.

What happens next is straightforward: Middleton is due to receive the Primo Tricolore in the municipal palace on the same day, completing the formal part of the visit in a city that had spent the morning preparing for her arrival.