Kate

May 13 (UPI) — Kate, princess of Wales, visited Italy on Wednesday in her first official overseas trip since she announced her cancer diagnosis in 2024.

She is visiting Reggio Emilia, a city in north-central Italy that’s known for a unique child-centered approach to early childhood education. Kensington Palace said the princess is very interested in early childhood education and nurturing approaches.

Kate was greeted by crowds cheering and vying for photos of her, the BBC reported.

“Catherine is very popular here in Italy,” more so than other royals, said Paolo Rosato of the local paper, Il Resto del Carlino, to the BBC. “They see Kate as a story that follows Diana.”

Michael Cocchi, who visited from nearby Parma, brought flowers.

“I think the royal family still has an important role in British culture,” he told the BBC.

“Undoubtedly this is a huge moment for the princess,” an aide to Kate said. “There will be many highlights of 2026, but this being her first official international visit post her recovery, this is a really significant moment for her.”

Kate launched The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021. It explores the impact of adult problems, including addiction and mental health issues, on early childhood.

She plans to meet with parents, children, educators and others at Reggio Emilia to learn from them.

“It’s the first time she’s out officially,” Richard Fitzwilliams, a British royal commentator, told The New York Times. “And she’s obviously grown in strength.”

King Charles III, who announced his own cancer diagnosis weeks before Kate announced hers, recently traveled to the United States, showing he can handle a rigorous trip. He announced late in 2025 that his treatments were going well.

Kate announced her diagnosis in March 2024, then announced her cancer was in remission in January 2025. She never said what type of cancer she had.

In the two-day visit, Kate will learn about the Reggio Emilia approach to education, and she visited the Loris Malaguzzi International Center. She will visit two local schools to see the learning in action.

The city of Reggio Emilia allocates 13% of its budget to preschool services, said Marwa Mahmoud, the city’s councilor for education.

“We’ve always maintained that education — as well as health and healthcare — should not be viewed as costs,” said Marco Massari, mayor of Reggio Emilia, The Times reported. “It is right to evaluate them in terms of efficiency and waste reduction, but they are not costs – they are investments in the present and the future.”

“She actually asked to meet the teachers, the children and their parents, and participate in an everyday situation,” said Maddalena Tedeschi, president of Reggio Children, a center that researches and promotes the approach.

Kate’s aide told the BBC that the visit is part of a broader tour.

“She wants to look at other models around the world and really create a global conversation,” the aide said.

The Sparks signed guard Kate Martin to a developmental player contract Sunday just hours before their first game of the season. About 45 minutes before tipoff, Martin arrived in Los Angeles.

“It’s been chaotic, but honestly, found a lot of clarity, a lot of confidence, and where I’m at and where the future of my career is heading,” she said. “So honestly, kind of all over the place, but feeling really good and having a lot of clarity right now.”

Martin was a surprising end-of-training camp cut for the Golden State Valkyries after she averaged 6.2 points per game in 42 contests last season. But Golden State was deep at the wing position, making Martin expendable with its other positional needs.

Speaking publicly for the first time since being cut, she was emotional, but excited for the opportunity with the Sparks.

“I chose L.A. because of the way they approached me,” she said. “I just feel honored for the opportunity. And opportunities don’t always come around in this league. And so for the year that I got cut to be the year where there are development spots, I feel very grateful for that.”

The Sparks had one developmental spot left after signing Louisville graduate Laura Ziegler during training camp.

Martin will be available to be on the active roster for 12 games, while receiving a weekly stipend of $750 in addition to a pro-rated minimum salary of $6,000. She has the most experience of any player signed to a developmental contract across the league with two full seasons under her belt.

“(Martin is) great in the locker room, great teammate, super hard worker,” said Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, who coached Martin in her rookie season. “She’s somebody who came in with pro habits and a lot of times from college, that’s hard to do, but she came in and was a nice piece for us.”

The 25-year-old was a fan favorite with the Valkyries and had the third highest-selling jersey in the WNBA last season despite coming off the bench for Golden State.

Martin first went viral during the 2024 draft when she was selected 18th overall by Las Vegas and was in the room to support her Iowa teammate, Caitlin Clark. She averaged 2.6 points per game in 34 games as a rookie with the Aces before being selected by the Valkyries in the expansion draft in December 2025.

“Now my expectations for myself are to buy into being an L.A. Spark,” Martin said. “I know that roles are ever changing throughout the season, but right now, I’m gonna be where my feet are, and I’m going to buy into this role as a development player. I’m going to learn, I’m going to grow, and I’m just going to make the most of this opportunity.”

It’s unclear how much Martin will play with the Sparks, but she might have a path because they lack wing depth. The Sparks are backcourt heavy, then have three bigs in Nneka Ogwumike, Cameron Brink and Dearica Hamby. Rae Burrell and Sania Feagin fill that role, but Martin could bring a three-point shot and energy off the bench.

“It’s a great fit for us,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “Thrilled how that worked out. It’s no secret, I love shooters. I think it’s a great add. And I think this gives her a chance in the developmental spot to just kind of settle and really pour into the player development. Her work ethic is unbelievable.”

Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway lost her husband Derek Draper in 2024

Kate Garraway had been married to late husband Derek Draper for 18 years when he died in 2024.

The Good Morning Britain presenter was left heartbroken when the former political advisor died at the age of 56, weeks after suffering a cardiac arrest. Derek had spent more than a year in hospital after falling ill with the coronavirus in 2020. He suffered several health setbacks and had needed round the clock care after he returned home to Kate and their two children Darcey and Billy.

“Rest gently and peacefully now Derek, my love, I was so lucky to have you in my life,” Kate said in a moving tribute after announcing that he had died.

The star has since been open about what life is like for the family as they try and deal with their loss, sharing touching milestones and opening up about their grief journey.

Kate has occasionally addressed whether she might dip her toe in the dating pool again. However, two years on, she is still thought to be single, although there have been persistent rumours about her meeting someone.

What has Kate Garraway said about finding love again?

In February 2025, Kate opened up about life after Derek in a chat with Hello! magazine.

While she didn’t specifically talk about relationships, the TV presenter did say that she knew her late husband would want her to live her life.

“Derek would want me to be grabbing life, because you learn how fast, and how easily, it can be snatched away,” she said. “I know he’d be saying, ‘You’ve got to get out and live, because I can’t’.”

A few months later, the star told The Sun that all the speculation about her love life had “made me think about it”.

“And honestly, I don’t feel as if I can,” she said. “It’s a weird one, because I wouldn’t like to think I’d spend the rest of my life without love, but also it feels preposterous at the moment to think of being with anyone else.”

However, Kate said she knew she was “going to have to think about the future at some point”.

The Celebrity Traitors star said expanding her social circle was on the agenda, so that she could try to have a social life that “isn’t based on being a mummy”. “There’s no point in worrying about it – it will happen organically when I am ready,” she said.

Kate, who took part in the first celebrity series of The Traitors, has also admitted that living the rest of her life without finding love again would be “sad”.

Opening up to Jamie Laing on his Great Company podcast, she said: “Well I wouldn’t like to think that I’d never had romantic love in my life again. I think that would be rather a sad way to go through life wouldn’t it?

“But, no, I’m not there yet. I don’t know if anybody would want me.”

She quipped: “Talk to your mates, find out if any of their dads are single.”

Kate Garraway is on the Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer, which airs at 7pm on Channel 4 on Sunday May 3.

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV1 and ITVX.

Bethan Lewis will lead Wales against England in the Women’s Six Nations on Saturday (14:15 BST) with fellow back rower Kate Williams ruled out through injury.

Williams came off in the second half of the 38-7 defeat by France last weekend with a leg problem and will miss Wales’ meeting with the world champions at Ashton Gate.

Alex Callender, Williams’ co-captain last year, is still recovering from an ankle injury.

Lewis led Wales against Canada at last summer’s World Cup and said: “It’s always a massive honour to put on the jersey and to be able to lead the girls out against England.”

The England game will come too soon for Wales centre Carys Cox, who was a late withdrawal from the France defeat after taking a knock in training, but head coach Sean Lynn says wing Seren Singleton is fit despite leaving the field with her arm in a sling.

He will name his side on Thursday morning.