Ordinarily, a man in Edward’s position would have had two choices: lose weight or try different positions. But this being the Prince of Wales, he decided to take a third option. Edward commissioned famous Paris cabinetmaker Louis Soubrier to create what he called a “Siege d’Amour”, or “Love Chair”. Installed in Edward’s private room at La Chabanais, the elaborate gilded device allowed Edward to continue having sex without crushing his partners with his enormous girth. It was also rumoured that the chair allowed Edward to have sex with two women at once, yet while the chair does feature a second cushion on the lower level it is unclear how this was supposed to function.

Richardson, Matt (2001), The Royal Book of Lists, Toronto: Dundurn Press, p.56, ISBN 978-0-88882-238-3 But, it wasn’t all can-can girls and music halls. With great power comes great irresponsibility and many paid the price for the Prince’s philandering. Most biographers ignore Bertie's French escapades or dismiss them as failings, often depicting Edward VII as an ineffectual monarch overshad-owed by his mother. But Clarke insists it was his secret life in Paris that turned Bertie into the only man in Europe who could control the Kaiser. Bragança, Jose Vicente de (2014). "Agraciamentos Portugueses Aos Príncipes da Casa Saxe-Coburgo-Gota"[Portuguese Honours awarded to Princes of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]. Pro Phalaris (in Portuguese). 9–10: 12. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021 . Retrieved 28 November 2019.

Poet Lord Byron (1788-1824), shagged anything that stayed still long enough (including his half-sister, Augusta, and over 200 male lovers during a holiday around Greece.) The Wimbledon family keep getting woken up by their dog, Stanley - what could he possibly be up to in the middle of the night? Find out in this brilliantly inventive and funny picture book. As king, Edward VII proved a greater success than anyone had expected, [133] but he was already past the average life expectancy and had little time left to fulfil the role. In his short reign, he ensured that his second son and heir, George V, was better prepared to take the throne. Contemporaries described their relationship as more like affectionate brothers than father and son, [134] and on Edward's death George wrote in his diary that he had lost his "best friend and the best of fathers... I never had a [cross] word with him in my life. I am heart-broken and overwhelmed with grief". [135] That the notoriously stuffy Prince Albert should have produced such an heir was something from which Victoria's adored husband never recovered. Albert insisted his pleasure-seeking son should be kept away from children his own age, schooled in the classics eight hours a day and thrashed when he failed to make the grade. a b Previous Princes of Wales, Clarence House, archived from the original on 14 October 2013 , retrieved 30 January 2016

The more Victoria disapproved, the more extravagant Bertie became in his pursuits of pleasure (his chair alone is testament to that.) Hof, Peter, Two Edwards: How King Edward VII and Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey Fomented the First World War, Trine Day, 2018 While Prince of Wales, Edward had to be dissuaded from breaking with constitutional precedent by openly voting for W. E. Gladstone's Representation of the People Bill (1884) in the House of Lords. [12] [90] On other matters, he was more conservative; for example, he did not favour giving votes to women, [12] [91] although he did suggest that the social reformer Octavia Hill serve on the Commission for Working Class Housing. [92] He was also opposed to Irish Home Rule, instead preferring a form of dual monarchy. [12]

Der Großherzogliche Haus-und Verdienst-orden des Herzogs Peter Friedrich Ludwig". Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Großherzogtums Oldenburg: 1879. Oldenburg: Schulze. 1879. p. 35. Archived from the original on 29 August 2020 . Retrieved 22 June 2020. Bryan, Nicola (9 September 2017), "Prince Charles is longest-serving Prince of Wales", BBC News, archived from the original on 9 September 2017 , retrieved 9 September 2017 In fact, every woman in Paris wanted to get into the bed of the city's favourite Anglais," says Clarke. Huberty, M., Giraud, A., Magdelaine, F. & B. (1976–1994). L'Allemagne Dynastique, Vols I–VII. Le Perreux, France: Alain Giraud