Love chair
The love chair (French: siège d'amour) was a device created by a French furniture manufacturer to allow the corpulent British King Edward VII to have sex with two women simultaneously while protecting them from being crushed by his weight.[1][2][3]
History
King Edward was known for his affairs with the most famous French aristocrats, prostitutes, actresses and cancan dancers;[4] his father, on learning of his licentiousness, described him as "depraved".[5] He was a regular visitor to the most exquisite and lavish bordello of Victorian Paris, Le Chabanais, where the chair, designed specifically to cater for his copulatory tastes, was installed. Created by furniture manufacturer Soubrier, it was reported in 2018 as being owned by the Soubrier family[1] and it was included in an exhibition at the Musée d'Orsay in 2015.[5]
At least three versions of the chair are known to exist including the original owned by the Soubrier family. Two replicas also exist, one of which is located in the Sex Machines Museum in Prague. The other replica was put on sale in February 2020 by an antique furniture store in New Orleans for $68,000.[6]
References
- ^ a b Hof, Peter (1 May 2018). Two Edwards: How King Edward VII and Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey fomented the First World War. Trine Day. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-63424-175-5.
- ^ Thomas, Sean (6 December 2005). "On the trail of Edward VII's sex chair for threesomes". theweek.com. The Week. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Elser, Daniela (22 May 2019). "King Edward VII's bizarre sex chair has confused everyone". news.com.au. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ Lister, Kate (26 October 2017). "Throwback Thursday: When the King of England had a love chair to 'pleasure two partners at once'". inews.co.uk. The i. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ a b Perring, Rebecca (9 October 2015). "Dirty Bertie: how royal playboy took Victorian Paris by storm with a three-way love seat". Express.co.uk. Daily Express. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ Genovese, Daniella (12 February 2020). "King Edward VII's 'love chair' gives a royal twist to big-budget romance". foxbusiness.com. Fox Business. Retrieved 2 March 2024.