Princess Kate Shares What George, Charlotte and Louis Did at Home During the Pandemic

Prince William, Princess Kate and kids clapping during the pandemic — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Kate’s first day in Italy has been an action-packed one, meeting with enormous crowds of fans, visiting a local school and getting her hands dirty at an immersive workshop. While Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis didn’t join their mother on her two-day visit to Reggio Emilia, Italy, Kate revealed some of the activities she found to keep them busy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Princess of Wales is visiting the city to learn more about the Reggio Emilia philosophy of early childhood education, which focuses on self-directed, experiential learning. While visiting the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre—a meeting place for international researchers, teachers, and families—the Princess of Wales participated in one of the center’s specialist atelier’s, a clay modeling workshop.

Per the Telegraph’s “Your Royal Appointment” newsletter, royal editor Hannah Furness noted that the princess had no problem with mess during the event. “Don’t worry! I have children—I’m used to it,” she said. Princess Kate then shared some of the hands-on activities she found to do at home with her three children.

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Princess Kate rolling clay at a table — Princess Kate tries her hand at clay modeling in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Princess Kate modeling clay on a table — Princess Kate tries her hand at clay modeling in Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Instead of relying on screens, Kate said she tried to keep their curiosity alive with hands-on crafts.

“We tried to find as many objects in the house as we could with as many colors in the rainbow as possible,” the Princess of Wales told the group.

This tactic was visible when Prince Louis showed off his messy, paint-covered hands in his second birthday photo. The prince, who turned two in 2020, created a handprint painting with the primary colors, showing Kate’s dedication to sensory-based projects.

Prince Louis holding up paint covered hands and smiling — Prince Louis enjoyed a rainbow painting project for his second birthday.

a painting of a rainbow handprint — Prince Louis created this rainbow handprint for his lockdown birthday.

After her visit to the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre, the Princess of Wales visited a local school that uses the Reggio Emilia approach, Scuola Comunale d'Infanzia Anna Frank.

Students formed a line to hug the princess in one adorable moment shared by Chris Ship of ITV on Instagram, and if Wednesday was any indication, the Princess of Wales is in for many more hugs on the final day of her trip over the next day.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.