'Prioritise love': Kate writes essay reflecting on Italy tour as new pictures released

The Princess of Wales has expressed concerns about an "increasingly digitalised world" in an essay she has written reflecting on her recent visit to northern Italy to learn more about its approach to early years education.

The princess spent two days in Reggio Emilia last month - her return to overseas visits following her treatment for cancer.

Catherine writes about life being mediated through screens and warns that the need for "genuine human connection" has never been greater.

To coincide with the publication of the essay, the Royal Foundation also released several new images of the princess on her trip.

In the essay, Catherine describes how a parent at her children's school asked her: If we could all do just one thing, what would it be?

She writes that her answer was "to prioritise love."

She clarified that this didn't mean "overly sentimental or romantic gestures" but was instead a focus on "love that is quiet and unconditional, built on time and patience."

Since her cancer treatment, the princess has often spoken of the value of human contact and connection to help create happy, stable childhoods.

The tone and mood of this new essay is very much in keeping with that focus as the princess returns more fully to public duties.

It is at times philosophical about how we look after our mind, body and spirit.

In other moments, she emphasises simple pleasures, writing of the "joy found in ordinary things" and "the everyday magic of life itself".

The princess's visit to Italy was her first official overseas trip since her cancer treatment and it made a significant impact on her.

During the visit she saw first-hand a number of projects and met children and their families.

"Children always give me hope. Their natural openness, their curiosity about the simplest of things, and their ability to wonder, dream and play remind me of the very best qualities of humanity," the princess writes.

"The children I met on my recent trip to Reggio Emilia radiated such qualities. Their innate ability to connect and communicate in all sorts of different ways made me feel immediately welcome, as they accepted a complete stranger with confidence and joy."

The essay is titled "Creating the conditions for love to flourish through nature and creativity by Catherine, Princess of Wales" and has been published by the Royal Foundation's Centre for Early Childhood.

"The princess emphasised the need to put early childhood on the global agenda, treated with the same urgency and sense of mission as other global challenges like climate change," says Christian Guy, the Executive Director of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.

"This essay gives a real insight into how passionately HRH feels about the unique importance of early childhood and its ability to shape society."

Sources close to the princess described the Italy trip as "taking it up a gear".

Her return to public life has been carefully managed but the positive response to Catherine in Italy was a reminder that she remains a big draw with public and an important asset to the royal family.

Her team is now looking at other locations which have developed their own approach to helping children in the earliest years of their lives.

This essay gives a clear sense of the direction of travel for the princess when it comes to public duty.

Supporting young families will be the priority. "By allowing children to feel connected from an early age, we can help them carry that sense of balance into adulthood," the princess writes.

"If healing later in life is about rediscovering our most important connections, then perhaps the real task is to ensure that they are never lost in the first place."