5 Shocking Secrets Of King Edward VII's 'Love Chair'—The Royal Scandal That Defined An Era

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Few pieces of royal furniture carry a history as scandalous, intriguing, and undeniably X-rated as the object famously known as the "King Edward Sex Chair." Today, in late 2025, this piece remains a potent symbol of the double life led by the future King Edward VII—a man who, as Prince of Wales, embodied the rigid morality of the Victorian era by day and indulged in hedonistic pleasures by night. This custom-made device, officially called the *siège d'amour* (love chair), was the ultimate expression of royal excess, designed for a very specific, and highly controversial, purpose.

The story of the *siège d'amour* is more than just a footnote in the history of erotic furniture; it’s a crucial lens through which to view the hypocrisy and hidden decadence of the late 19th-century British aristocracy. Commissioned in 1890, this ingenious, yet shocking, piece of custom-made furniture was engineered to solve a very personal problem for the increasingly corpulent Prince Albert Edward—allowing him to maintain his vigorous sexual appetite with two partners simultaneously without the physical strain or discomfort of his growing girth.

The Royal Rake: A Biography of King Edward VII (1841–1910)

To understand the chair, one must first understand the man who commissioned it. Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, was a figure of immense public fascination and private notoriety. He earned the nickname "Dirty Bertie" long before he ascended the throne, a moniker that spoke volumes about his relentless pursuit of pleasure and his numerous, well-documented extramarital affairs.

  • Full Name: Albert Edward Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
  • Born: November 9, 1841, at Buckingham Palace, London
  • Parents: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
  • Title Before Accession: Prince of Wales (for nearly 60 years, the longest in British history)
  • Reign: January 22, 1901 – May 6, 1910 (The Edwardian Era)
  • Spouse: Princess Alexandra of Denmark
  • Children: Six, including the future King George V
  • Notoriety: Known for his love of fine dining, racing, gambling, and a string of mistresses and Parisian courtesans.
  • Legacy: Though his reign was short, he was a popular and charismatic monarch who helped modernize the British monarchy and foster better relations with Europe.

As the heir apparent to the notoriously straitlaced Queen Victoria, Bertie’s life was a constant source of tension and scandal. His mother kept him away from state affairs, which left him with ample time to pursue a life of leisure and hedonism. This lifestyle led him to the infamous brothels of Paris, where the idea for his unique piece of furniture was conceived.

The Engineering of Decadence: How the *Siège d'Amour* Worked

The "King Edward Sex Chair" was not a piece of mass-produced Victorian furniture; it was a bespoke, custom-made solution designed by a French furniture manufacturer specifically for the Prince of Wales. The design was a marvel of ergonomic engineering, focused entirely on facilitating a *ménage à trois* with the maximum possible ease for the principal participant.

Solving the Royal Problem of Girth and Stamina

By the time he was in his late 40s, Prince Edward was a large man, known for his substantial appetite and corresponding size. This presented a physical challenge for the kind of sexual exploits he enjoyed. The chair's ingenious design addressed this by allowing the Prince to be comfortably positioned and fully supported.

The structure of the *siège d'amour* is essentially a complex, multi-level chaise lounge. It featured a central, raised seat for the Prince, with two lower, curved seats on either side. The design allowed two courtesans to position themselves in a way that granted the Prince access to both simultaneously—one for oral sex and the other for vaginal or anal penetration—all while the Prince remained seated and supported. It was a masterpiece of erotic furniture, ensuring his royal pleasure without the physical exertion of traditional positions.

This ergonomic innovation meant that the Prince could engage in simultaneous activities with two partners, which was a significant feature of his preferred sexual routines at the time. The chair was reportedly kept at a high-end Paris brothel, likely Le Chabanais, which was a known haunt of the Prince during his frequent visits to the French capital.

The Lingering Mystery: Where is the Original Chair Today?

For a piece of furniture so infamous and so tied to a British monarch, the current location of the original *siège d'amour* is surprisingly elusive, adding to its legendary status. Unlike the Coronation Chair, which is proudly displayed in Westminster Abbey, the "love chair" is not a museum piece the Royal Family is eager to acknowledge.

The most recent information suggests that the original chair’s location is a matter of speculation, though some sources hint that it may still be in private hands or in use in a very discreet, exclusive setting. The piece's history has been kept intentionally murky to protect the privacy, or perhaps the reputation, of those who inherited or acquired it from the Parisian establishments it once graced.

The Public Replicas and Modern Fascination

While the original remains hidden, the public’s fascination has been satisfied through replicas and media features, keeping the scandal fresh in the public consciousness.

  • Prague's Sex Machines Museum: One of the most famous replicas is on display here, drawing countless visitors eager to see the scandalous royal artifact up close.
  • New Orleans Antique Shops: Another replica is reportedly located in a New Orleans antique shop, speaking to the global curiosity surrounding "Dirty Bertie's" exploits.
  • Smithsonian Channel Feature: The chair was recently featured in the Smithsonian Channel series, 'The Private Lives of Royals,' bringing the story to a new, modern audience and cementing its place in popular history.

The enduring interest in the *siège d'amour* highlights a timeless truth: the public is endlessly captivated by the private lives of royals, especially when those lives involve decadence, secrecy, and boundary-pushing eroticism. The chair serves as a tangible link to the hidden Victorian and Edwardian worlds—a period of strict social codes that often masked a vibrant, and sometimes shocking, underground of pleasure and indulgence. Entities like the *siège d'amour*, the Paris brothel Le Chabanais, and the nickname "Dirty Bertie" are all inextricably linked, painting a vivid picture of a royal lifestyle that was anything but conventional. The story of King Edward VII's custom-made furniture continues to be a major subject of discussion among historians of the Victorian era, royal biographers, and enthusiasts of erotic history.

5 Shocking Secrets of King Edward VII's 'Love Chair'—The Royal Scandal That Defined an Era
king edward sex chair
king edward sex chair

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