Over the centuries, the British Royal Family has been embroiled in numerous scandals that have shocked the nation, but even the most dedicated royal watchers may be unaware of the pleasure-seeking prince and his sex chair.
A new Channel 4 series airing on Tuesday night will explore the unique piece of furniture that was designed especially for the loving Prince Bertie in the late 19th century before he became King Edward VII in 1901.
In A History of Royal Scandals, historian and presenter Professor Suzannah Lipscomb explains that Queen Victoria’s eldest son Bertie “married” Princess Alexandra of Denmark in 1863.
After having six children together, Alexandra’s health deteriorated and she “settled for a quiet family life in the country”, while Bertie, also known as Dirty Bertie by the tabloids of the time, as well as Eduardo the Caresser , headed to France and quickly became a magnet for the capital’s courtesans.
Suzannah reveals that Bertie visited Parisian brothels and sex shows at the Moulin Rouge with “gay abandon.”
King Edward VII wearing coronation regalia in 1902. His waist measured 48 inches (122 cm) shortly before his coronation.
Queen Victoria with the future King Edward VII with his bride, Princess Alexandra of Denmark on their wedding day in 1863.
The playboy prince commissioned a ‘siège d’amour’ or love chair so he could perform despite his growing waistline
Historian Catharine Arnold details her visits to the Moulin Rouge music hall, where her nickname was ‘Kingy!’
The dancer ‘La Goulue’ often shouted to him from the stage: “Hello, Wales!” Are you going to pay for my champagne?
But when his acting ability could no longer match his carnal appetite, Bertie, Queen Elizabeth II’s great-grandfather, commissioned what became known as the ‘siège d’amour’ (‘love chair’).
The chair was built by Louis Soubrier, a famous Parisian carpenter, for when Bertie visited a prominent brothel in the City of Love after gaining a large amount of weight.
In an excerpt from the programme, Catharine tells Suzannah: “It appears to have been built to cope with its considerable girth.”
The love chair is complete with stirrups to hold the legs of not one but two sexual partners, allowing the playboy prince to have sex with multiple women without crushing them.
Speaking about the logistics of the unusual piece of furniture, Catharine says: “One idea is for a woman to lie down and then Bertie holds on to the steps.
‘Next, another woman would lie underneath, on a padded part, and her role would be, what in the adult entertainment industry they call: the fluff.
“When this was taken care of, Bertie was not only fat, he was on the verge of helplessness, so he needed to be refreshed from time to time.”
He adds: “Bertie’s never-say-anything attitude makes you feel really proud to be British.”
Discussing the logistics of this unusual piece of furniture, historian Catharine Arnold says: ‘One idea is for a woman to lie down and then Bertie leans on the steps. Then another woman would lie underneath on a padded part and her role would be, what in the adult entertainment industry they call: the fluff.
He ascended the throne in 1901 and at his coronation in 1902, King Edward VII made sure to reserve a pew in Westminster Abbey only for his “special ladies.”
Summing up his place in the story, Suzannah says: ‘Bertie’s antics meant that many viewers questioned his ability to rule.
But when Queen Victoria died in 1901 and finally acceded to the throne in 1901 as Edward VII, he took on the role with gusto and really excelled as a monarch.
“However, as a husband, he remained deeply disappointing,” Suzannah says in the new series.
In fact, at his coronation in 1902, King Edward, then 60, made sure to reserve a pew in Westminster Abbey only for his “special ladies.”
At the time, Edward had an impressive 48-inch waist and sat down to five meals every day, most of which were ten courses.
Although the original siège d’amour is believed to have been sold at a private auction to an anonymous buyer in the 1990s, a replica of the love chair was on display in the exhibition ‘Splendor and Misery: Images of Prostitution 1850-1910’ at the Musée D’Orsay in Paris between 2015 and 2016.
Another copy of the chair can be found in the Museum of Sex Machines in Prague.
A history of real scandals brought to you by historian Professor Suzannah Lipscomb
The six-part series A History of Royal Scandals sees Suzannah delve into Britain’s extensive royal history to reveal more about the scandals we think we already know about – and perhaps uncover some shocking new ones along the way.
In a year when speculation about the private lives of the current Royal Family has reached a fever pitch, Suzannah discovers that intrigue and fascination with what goes on behind palace doors is certainly not a modern phenomenon.
Tuesday’s episode focuses in particular on sex scandals and, as well as Prince Bertie’s sex chair, Suzannah explores how rumors of sexual indiscretions were used to attack a formidable medieval queen and still follow her centuries later.
It is also seeking to find out whether 13-year-old King James VI of Scotland was groomed by his uncle Esme Stewart, 37.
Watch A True Scandal Story on More4 on Tuesdays at 9pm