The $68,500 Secret: 5 Shocking Facts About King Edward VII's Siège D'Amour, The Royal 'Love Chair'
The Victorian and Edwardian eras are often remembered for their rigid public morality and strict social codes, yet behind the gilded doors of Europe's elite, a different world thrived—one of lavish excess and discreet scandal. As of this December 2025, one piece of furniture continues to embody this hypocrisy more than any other: the infamous "love seat" commissioned by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who would later become King Edward VII. This custom-built device, known in French as the Siège d'Amour (Seat of Love), was not a romantic sofa for two, but a highly engineered apparatus designed for the corpulent royal's most private and scandalous desires.
Far from being a common antique, the King Edward VII love seat is a tangible piece of royal history that perfectly encapsulates the future monarch's reputation as a notorious playboy, nicknamed "Bertie" by his close circle. Commissioned specifically for a luxury Parisian brothel, the chair allowed the overweight Prince to engage in sexual relations with two courtesans simultaneously without having to exert himself or risk crushing his partners. Its existence and function remain one of the most intriguing and shocking secrets of the British monarchy, proving that even the most powerful figures were not immune to commissioning bespoke solutions for their more unconventional appetites.
The Playboy Prince: A Biography of King Edward VII
To truly understand the scandalous nature of the Siège d'Amour, one must first appreciate the character of the man who commissioned it: Albert Edward, King Edward VII.
- Full Name: Albert Edward
- Born: November 9, 1841, at Buckingham Palace, London.
- Died: May 6, 1910, at Buckingham Palace, London.
- Parents: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
- Reign: King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from January 22, 1901, until his death in 1910.
- Spouse: Princess Alexandra of Denmark (married 1863).
- Titles Held: Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Prince of Wales (for nearly 60 years, making him the longest-serving heir apparent in British history until Prince Charles).
- Key Nickname: "Bertie."
- Legacy: Known for modernizing the British monarchy, promoting European diplomacy, and his love of pleasure, food, and women.
Fact 1: It Was Not a 'Love Seat'—It Was a Siège d'Amour
The common English term "love seat" conjures images of a small, elegant sofa designed for two people to sit close together. The King Edward VII piece, however, was in a completely different category. Its authentic name, the Siège d'Amour, translates literally to "Seat of Love," but its function was far more specific and less romantic.
The chair was commissioned around 1890, when Edward was still the Prince of Wales, a period in which his girth had grown considerably. The design was a bespoke solution to a practical problem: the Prince’s increasing weight made it difficult to comfortably engage with his partners without causing them injury or requiring him to move excessively.
The resulting apparatus was a complex, brocade-upholstered piece of furniture, often described as a 'bunk bed' or stacking seat structure. It was designed to support the Prince in a kneeling-standing position while two women were positioned on the tiered seats below, allowing him to service both simultaneously with minimal physical effort.
Fact 2: Its Infamous Home Was Le Chabanais, Paris's Most Exclusive Brothel
The Siège d'Amour was not kept in any of the royal residences, such as Buckingham Palace or Sandringham House. Instead, it was permanently housed in the most famous and luxurious maison close (brothel) in Paris: Le Chabanais.
Le Chabanais, which operated from 1878 until 1946, was the unofficial playground for European aristocracy, politicians, and artists, including Guy de Maupassant and Cary Grant. King Edward VII was one of its most loyal and high-profile clients, even having a dedicated suite there.
The brothel’s staff catered to the Prince's every whim. Besides the unique love chair, Edward VII also commissioned a custom brass bathtub shaped like a swan or a large silver-plated copper tub, which was later famously sold at auction. The fact that the future King of England not only frequented but actively furnished a Parisian brothel highlights the astonishing double life of the royal family during the late Victorian and early Edwardian periods.
Fact 3: It Was Designed by a Master French Cabinet Maker
The scandalous chair was a product of fine French craftsmanship. While often attributed generally to a "French furniture manufacturer," historical accounts suggest the designer was Louis Soubrier, a respected Parisian cabinet maker.
Soubrier was tasked with creating a piece that was both discreetly luxurious and highly functional. The chair was reportedly upholstered in sumptuous brocade and featured leather stirrups to hold the legs of the two partners in place—a detail that underscores the mechanical and practical nature of its design. This blending of high art (fine furniture making) with low pleasure (a sex device) makes the Siège d'Amour a unique artifact of social history.
Fact 4: The Chair's Legacy is Tied to the King's Famous Mistresses
King Edward VII’s reign was defined as much by his numerous affairs as by his political actions. While the Siège d'Amour was used with professional courtesans at Le Chabanais, it is part of a larger narrative of his private life, which included a string of high-society mistresses who gave him a reputation as the "Peaceful Playboy King."
These relationships added to his scandalous profile and topical authority. Prominent entities in his private life included:
- Lillie Langtry: A celebrated actress known as the "Jersey Lily," she was one of his earliest and most famous mistresses.
- Jennie Jerome (Lady Randolph Churchill): The American-born mother of Winston Churchill, she was a mistress of Edward VII in the 1870s.
- Alice Keppel: His last and most influential mistress, who was with him on his deathbed in 1910, a testament to the enduring nature of their relationship.
The existence of the Siège d'Amour provides a stark contrast to his more romanticized affairs, revealing a side of the King that sought purely physical, transactional pleasure without the pretense of love or romance.
Fact 5: The Siège d'Amour Has Recently Been Valued at Over $68,000
The enduring fascination with the Siège d'Amour is reflected in its high monetary value and continued public discussion. While the original chair's exact location is often debated, a known replica or a chair strongly believed to be the original was recently put up for sale by the prestigious New Orleans antique dealer, MS Rau Antiques.
The advertised price for this scandalous piece of royal history was a remarkable $68,500 USD. This high valuation, which has been reported in recent years, confirms the chair's status as a highly sought-after, if controversial, artifact. Its continued appearance in media, including a feature in the Smithsonian's series 'The Private Lives of Royals,' ensures that the story of Edward VII's "love chair" remains a fresh and captivating subject in royal history.
The chair serves as a powerful symbol of the hypocrisy of the era, where the strict moral standards of Queen Victoria’s court were constantly undermined by the extravagant and secretive pleasures of her heir. The Siège d'Amour is more than just a piece of furniture; it is a meticulously preserved secret, a testament to the insatiable appetites of one of Britain’s most colorful monarchs, King Edward VII.
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