Desiree Rogers, the White House social secretary and a close friend of Michelle and Barack Obama, announced her resignation on Friday in the wake of the furore over the gate-crashing of a state dinner by three uninvited guests.

As the first high-profile casualty of Mr Obama’s tenure, her departure was a personal embarrassment for the president and first lady, who had appointed the former chairman of the Chicago lottery to turn the White House into the “people’s house”.

In a statement, the Obamas thanked Ms Rogers “for the terrific job she’s done” organising events in the White House, saying she had welcomed “scores of everyday Americans through its doors, from wounded warriors to local schoolchildren to NASCAR drivers”.

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