The King and Queen spent the entire afternoon touring a colonial museum in Antigua without taking shelter, after a Sunday downpour soaked the island's ceremonial route, the royal household confirmed. Officials said the couple declined an umbrella at the museum gates and walked the galleries in wet coats, stopping at every display case on the timetable they had printed in advance.
The Antiguan Ministry of Heritage has since introduced a mandatory wet-weather rehearsal for all of its staff. Curators now stand in the rain for a full hour each morning, guides practise reciting exhibit captions while drenched, and the ministry's canteen has been ordered to serve only hot soup to anyone who has been outdoors. A spokesperson said the ministry expects the policy to remain in force "until the next royal visit, or until the island's drains are finished, whichever comes later."
Local contractors have been hired to lay a covered walkway from the harbour to the museum, a project that will take eleven weeks and cost more than the museum's annual acquisitions budget. Residents queuing for the ferry now carry umbrellas that bear the royal crest, which the island's trade office has approved as a standard souvenir. The museum's visitor book, which is kept dry under glass, currently records one entry: a single line stating that the weather was fine for the rest of the day.