The Queen's Bedchamber

The Queen's Bedchamber and the three rooms that follow it belong to the Queen's Apartment, a suite that mirrors the King's Apartment seen earlier. It was home, in succession, to Marie-Thérèse, wife of Louis XIV; Marie Leszczyńska, wife of Louis XV; and Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI. Unlike the Mercury Salon, the king's official bedchamber, this room was where the queen actually slept. After completing his ceremonial duties in the Mercury Salon, the king would come here to consummate the marriage, and royal births took place in this very room — a total of nineteen children were born here between 1682 and 1786, nearly a century of royal history.

A railing separating the bed from the space where visitors now stand is a reminder that strict court etiquette governed the queen's chamber just as it did the king's: every morning, at least four courtiers would personally dress the queen, from undergarments to outer garments. A door in the wall beside the bed led to a private bedchamber — just as the king had a private retreat apart from his official bedroom, the queen had her own personal space where she could set aside formal etiquette to read or entertain close friends. In 1789, this same passage served as Marie Antoinette's escape route when revolutionary crowds stormed Versailles.