Kate Middleton and Prince William Kick off Bahamas Visit amid a Downpour: 'We Brought the Weather with Us!'

Kate Middleton and Prince William started their first full day in The Bahamas with a special visit to a local school amid a torrential downpour!

During their first outing on Friday, the couple huddled under umbrellas as they arrived at the school.

"We seem to have brought the weather with us!" William joked.

Kate, who wore a mint green chiffon dress from Self-Portrait and jewelery by Bahamian designer Nadia Irena, and William dropped in on a class at Sybil Strachan Primary School in Nassau, where they met with students and staff before joining the school's morning assembly.

William and Kate were greeted by a "Guard of Honor" of schoolchildren, the Minister of Education, Glenys Hanna-Martin, and the school's principal, Ricardo Rolle.

They then headed to assembly area where children from Sybil Strachan and other local schools gathered. During the assembly, students from schools across The Bahamas will dialed in to meet the royals.

The couple was entertained by a performance from the school choir and a traditional Rake n' Scrape band. Rake n' Scrape music originates from the musical traditions of the Turks and Caicos Islands, whose people brought it to The Bahamas between the 1920s and 1940s. It is characterized by the use of a saw tool as the primary instrument and is used to accompany dances such as The Bahamian Quadrille and the heel-toe polka.

The couple then popped into a class to talk to students and teachers about their experiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The 700-student school has kids from pre-school to Grade 6 and, like many around the world, was hit hard by COVID-19. Schools in The Bahamas were closed for nearly two years, with children attending virtual classes from March 2020 until January 2022.

Kate gave a speech during the outing, telling the students, "I hope you didn't get too wet coming here and apologies for bringing the British weather with us!

"I wanted to address the children here in The Bahamas. Whether you are here in the school today with William and me or joining virtually from across The Bahamas, thank you so much for such a warm welcome," she continued.

"The pandemic has taken you away from your classrooms and your friends, and learning from home I'm sure has been very difficult. That is why it is so wonderful that after almost two years being away from each other, you have recently returned to school and been reunited with your teachers and friends again. I can certainly feel the excitement and energy here today in this room."

William and Kate also plan to take part in their traditional royal duty of planting a tree in the Peace Garden at the school to mark their visit and Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

They will also seal a time capsule that contains a letter from the couple to the students of tomorrow, along with some mementos from their visit.

Next, the couple will meet with The Bahamas' emergency services personnel to see how they have managed through the COVID-19 crisis. Later today, William and Kate will face off in a yachting race.

For the first time, the royal couple are facing significant backlash on an official tour. Although they have received warm welcomes from many locals during their tour, they are also encountering mounting tensions in the Caribbean nations where William's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, remains head of state.

The rising tide of social and economic justice movements — including calls for slavery reparations and indigenous rights expansion — are rapidly reshaping contemporary views of the monarchy at a time when it is in transition: As Elizabeth, 95, marks 70 years on the throne, William and Kate are increasingly the modern face of both the family and the institution.