A couple of aspiring reality TV stars from Northern Virginia crashed the White House’s state dinner for Manmohan Singh and Gursharan Kaur Tuesday night, penetrating layers of security with no invitation to mingle with the likes of Vice President Joe Biden and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

Tareq and Michaele Salahi — polo-playing socialites known for a bitter family feud over a century-old Virginia winery they own along with Tareq’s parents, and their possible roles in the forthcoming TV show The Real Housewives of Washington — were seen arriving at the White House, and later posted on Facebook photos of themselves with VIPs at the elite gathering.

“Honored to be at the White House for the state dinner in honor of India with President Obama and our First Lady!” one of them wrote on their joint Facebook page at 9.08 pm.

But a White House official said the couple were not invited to the dinner, not included in the official guest list, and never seated at a table in the South Lawn tent.

A woman describing herself as a publicist for the Salahis denied that they were interlopers. “The Salahis were honoured to be a part of such a prestigious event... They both had a wonderful time,” she said in a statement.

This appears to be the first time in modern history that anyone has crashed a White House state dinner. The uninvited guests were in the same room as President Obama and Prime Minister Singh, although it is unknown whether they met the Obamas and the Guest of Honour.

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