The White House has discreetly destroyed hundreds of embossed invitations to a state dinner honouring François Hollande because they included a reference to his now former partner.

President Barack Obama's aides have struggled to keep up with the French leader's chaotic personal life after he was caught having an affair with an actress and broke up with long-time girlfriend Valérie Trierweiler.

After scrapping the first 300 invites, the Americans were left wondering whether to include the name of Mr Hollande's new mistress, according to The New York Times.

It was eventually settled that the French leader would be travelling solo to Washington, ending the nerve-racking uncertainty for the White House's protocol officers.

The decision will spare Michelle Obama from a day of tea and local visits, which is usually how she entertains foreign leader's spouses while her husband holds bilateral talks.

Instead, Mr Obama and Mr Hollande will today go to Monticello, the Virginia estate of Thomas Jefferson, who was one of America's first ambassadors to Paris before being elected president.

The two presidents will hold a joint press conference tomorrow [TUES], where Mr Hollande may face the indignity of being questioned about his affair while standing next to the world's most powerful man.

During a London press conference with David Cameron, Mr Hollande was has asked by a British reporter whether his "private life has made France an international joke". He declined to answer.

It is not the first time that a French leader's personal life has caught the White House off guard. In 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy abruptly announced he was divorcing his second wife, Cécilia Attias, just weeks before a visit to Washington.

Among the guests at Tuesday's state dinner will be Christine Lagarde, the French head of the International Monetary Fund, and actor Bradley Cooper, who speaks fluent French.