Prince William admits he had no idea Princess Kate could speak Italian
Princess Kate introduced herself to children as Catarina during her first overseas work trip since her cancer diagnosis
Kate Middleton's Italian language skills managed to catch even her own husband off guard — and Prince William was happy to admit it publicly during a rare live media appearance.
The Prince of Wales made the candid revelation on the British radio programme Heart Breakfast, filmed during a two-day visit to Duchy of Cornwall land holdings.
During the interview, William shared that his wife had "come back buzzing" from her trip to Italy the previous week, where she had travelled for her early childhood work. The visit was particularly significant as Kate's first overseas working trip since her cancer diagnosis in 2024.
A linguistic surprise for everyone
Show co-host Amanda Holden was the first to raise the subject, commenting on how the Princess of Wales had spoken some Italian whilst in Reggio Emilia. "I had no idea she spoke Italian, either," Holden remarked.
William's response drew laughter from both Holden and fellow co-host Jamie Theakston. "I didn't actually," the Prince admitted, before adding with a smile: "She must have dusted that off from a while ago."
Catarina greets children in Reggio Emilia
During her two-day stay in the northern Italian city, the Princess of Wales made a memorable impression by introducing herself to local children using the Italian form of her name.
"I speak a bit of Italian. What is your name? I am Catarina," she told the youngsters who gathered to meet her at the city's town hall, conversing with them in Italian and picking up new vocabulary along the way.
It is believed Kate may have first developed a foundation in the language during a study abroad placement in Florence in the summer of 2000.
According to Italy Magazine, she completed a three-month course in Italian and the history of art as part of her gap year before beginning university in Scotland, where she would later meet William in 2001.
A proud husband speaks from the heart
The Italy trip formed part of Kate's ongoing work to expand her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood internationally, and William was effusive in his praise for her during the Heart Breakfast episode, which was filmed in the Isles of Scilly.
"So proud. Very, very proud. She's been amazing. She's been through so much in the last couple of years, particularly, and she'd been looking forward to the Italian trip a lot, so I'm really glad it went really well," he said.
When asked about witnessing Kate find such fulfilment in the visit, William grew visibly emotional. "She's an amazing mum, an amazing wife, and, literally, our family couldn't cope without her, so, she's been absolutely stunning, brilliant," he added.