Princess Kate is a woman of many talents, from photography to baking to piano, and it seems there is no limit to the things she is good at. Every time she steps onto a sports field or reveals another “grandma hobby,” social media is aflutter with comments on her diverse set of skills. On her recent, hugely successful visit to Reggio Emilia, Princess Kate revealed one more hidden talent that even surprised her husband, Prince William.
On UK-based radio show Heart Radio, Prince William said that his wife, Princess Kate, “came back buzzing” from the trip, which focused on her work with the Royal Foundation for Early Childhood. The Princess of Wales made her first official visit to Italy to visit the country’s early educational epicenter, Reggio Emilia, home of the famed Reggio Emilia method of early childhood education. While meeting with children at Reggio Emilia’s city center, Princess Kate was overheard saying, “come ti chiami? Mi chiamo Catarina,” which translates to “what’s your name? My name is Catherine.”
"I had no idea she spoke Italian, either," Heart Radio cohost Amanda Holden said to Prince William. "I didn't actually," Prince William replied, much to the amusement of the radio show panel. "She must have dusted that off from a while ago," the Prince of Wales said.
Prince William was likely referring to Princess Kate’s gap year, where she spent three months in Florence in 2000. The Princess of Wales studied Italian and the history of art at the British Institute in Florence before starting at University of St. Andrews in 2001.
Princess Kate has referred fondly to her time spent in Italy in the past. “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," Prince William said on the radio show, after saying he was “so proud. Very, very proud. She's been amazing.”