Bidens Kick off First Easter Egg Roll in Two Years

US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden do a reading of a book at the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, US, April 18, 2022. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden do a reading of a book at the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, US, April 18, 2022. (Reuters)
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Bidens Kick off First Easter Egg Roll in Two Years

US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden do a reading of a book at the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, US, April 18, 2022. (Reuters)
US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden do a reading of a book at the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, US, April 18, 2022. (Reuters)

After a pandemic hiatus, President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris launched the first White House Easter Egg Roll in two years on Monday, resuming an annual tradition for children that dates back to 1878.

"Ready, set, go!" Biden shouted and blew a whistle to begin the festivities, in which children race to roll pastel-colored eggs down a portion of the South Lawn using long-handled spoons.

A light rain did nothing to put a damper on an event in which 30,000 children and adults were participating. Many top administration officials were on hand for the egg roll, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and White House press secretary Jen Psaki and their children.

"My job is to keep it from raining for another two minutes," Biden said in remarks from the White House balcony, standing alongside Mrs. Biden and two people wearing Easter Bunny costumes.

While Harris blew a whistle to launch a wave of egg rollers, the Bidens went to another a section of the lawn to read a children's book, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” They were soon joined by NBC's "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon, who read aloud his children's book, "Nana Loves You More."

The theme of the event was "egg-ucation," and the South Lawn was set up with an education theme. Jill Biden is a community college professor.

The egg roll event is a tradition begun by then-President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878. The coronavirus pandemic forced cancellation of the event in 2020 and 2021.



Prince Harry Is in Angola to Raise Awareness for Land Mine Clearing, Repeating Diana’s 1997 Trip

Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)
Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)
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Prince Harry Is in Angola to Raise Awareness for Land Mine Clearing, Repeating Diana’s 1997 Trip

Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)
Britain's Prince Harry remotely detonates a landmine at a minefield during a visit to see the work of landmine clearance charity the Halo Trust in Dirico, Angola, Sept. 27, 2019. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP, Pool)

Prince Harry visited the African nation of Angola on Tuesday with a land mine clearing charity, repeating a famous trip his mother made in 1997.

Harry, the Duke of Sussex, met with Angolan President João Lourenço on Tuesday at the start of his trip, according to a statement from the Halo Trust, an organization that works to clear land mines from old warzones.

Princess Diana visited Angola with the Halo Trust in January 1997, just seven months before she was killed in a Paris car crash. Diana was famously photographed on that trip wearing protective equipment and walking through an active minefield during a break in fighting in Angola's long civil war.

Her advocacy helped mobilize support for a treaty banning land mines later that year.

This is not the first time Harry has followed in his mother's footsteps by raising awareness for the Halo Trust's work. He also visited the southern African country in 2019 for a land mine clearing project. British media reported that Harry traveled to Angola this week without his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.

Halo Trust CEO James Cowan said in a statement Tuesday that he and Harry met with Lourenço to discuss continued demining efforts in Angola and thanked the president for his support for that work.

Angola was torn apart by a 27-year civil war, which lasted from 1975 to 2002, with some brief and fragile periods of peace in between.

The Halo Trust says there are estimates that around 80,000 Angolans have been killed or injured by land mines during and after the war, although there are no exact figures. The organization says just over 1,000 minefields covering an estimated 67 square kilometers (26 square miles) still needed to be cleared at the end of 2024.

Angola had set itself a goal to be land mine-free by 2025.