The Princess of Wales previously said that Prince William “always worries” about her meeting babies as it makes her want more kids.

Kate Middleton greets a baby in the crowd as she visits the Piazza Camillo Prampolini in Reggio Emilia, Italy on May 13, 2026.Credit : Samir Hussein/WireImage

Kate Middleton seemed especially delighted to meet a tiny well-wisher as she began her trip to Italy.

The Princess of Wales, 44, over 3-month-old Elena while greeting well-wishers in Reggio Emilia, Italy, on May 13, kicking off a trip focused on furthering her early childhood mission.

As seen in fan footage shared to X, Princess Kate visibly lit up when she spotted the baby girl being held near the railings. Her whole expression softened as she made her way over, crouching down to the child’s eye level with a huge smile before spending several moments chatting warmly with the woman holding the baby.

The Princess of Wales is nicknamed the “Children’s Princess” for her affectionate way with kids — and is also mom to Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8.

Kate Middleton greets people outside Reggio Emilia’s town hall as part of a two-day visit in Italy, on May 13, 2026.Marco BERTORELLO / POOL / AFP via Getty

Princess Kate previously said that her husband, Prince William, gets nervous about her meeting babies as it makes her want to expand their family.

“It makes me very broody,” Kate said about the occupational hazard of meeting babies during a 2022 tour of Denmark. “William always worries about me meeting under one-year-olds. I come home saying, ‘Let’s have another one.’ “

The Princess of Wales was greeted by thousands who lined up to catch a glimpse of her at Piazza Camillo Prampolini, the town hall and home of the mayor’s office, as her two-day trip to Reggio Emilia began on Wednesday.

Kate mingled with well-wishers following a meeting in the mayor’s office about the Reggio Emilia approach, posing for selfies, accepting flowers and squatting to talk with children.

Kate Middleton is welcomed to the city of Reggio Emilia at the start of her visit to Italy on May 13, 2026.Alamy

Teresa Salerno, 42, who was among the crowds gathered outside, tells PEOPLE, “She shook my hand. It was emotional — I’m trembling.”

“She had an aura of light and goodness and sweetness,” Salerno adds. “It was incredible seeing her. It made a real impression on me.”

“I told her she was beautiful — that’s all I could say,” she continues. “When someone said, ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you,’ she replied, ‘The pleasure is all mine.’ ”

The royal even broke out her Italian to talk to the kids, after previously revealing that she is  “so bad” at speaking the language.

“I have to make sure my children are better than me, that’s my aim,” she said upon meeting an Italian well-wisher at Leicester University in 2018.

Kate studied abroad in Florence in 2000 before she began college at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, where she met William.

Today, the Princess of Wales returned to Italy for a solo trip running from May 13 to May 14 to learn more about the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education as her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood expands internationally.

Kate Middleton poses with the mayor of Reggio Emilia, Marco Massari, and the prefect of Reggio Emilia Salvatore Angieri, during a two-day visit in Italy, on May 13, 2026.Marco BERTORELLO / POOL / AFP via Getty

A local teacher tells PEOPLE she was glad to meet Princess Kate and explained, “I shook her hand and thanked her for coming here and said it was a huge honor for us. She said it was a huge honor for her to see the city.”

“I have followed her since her wedding and to think she came to my home town is crazy. I think she is a very down to earth kind of person and that shows when you speak to her,” says the educator. “When she started her early childhood project I always thought that sooner or later she would come here because it’s been a staple in our community since the Second World War. I can see why she came to Reggio Emilia because her vision is so similar to ours.”

“To think that this is the first trip since her illness is unimaginable,” the teacher added, referencing the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis in March 2024 and remission announcement in January 2025.