The Queen's Chamber

This is the Queen's Bedchamber. Beginning with this room, four rooms belong to the Queen's Grand Apartment. Together, they form the counterpart to the King's Grand Apartment. This room was used by Marie-Thérèse, the wife of Louis XIV; Marie Leszczyńska, the wife of Louis XV; and Marie Antoinette, the wife of Louis XVI.

Unlike the King's public bedchamber, this was where the queen actually slept. After completing the royal ceremonies in the King's Bedchamber, the king would come here to spend the night with the queen. It was also here that the queens gave birth. Between 1682 and 1786, a total of nineteen royal children were born in this very room.

Do you see the railing separating the bed from the rest of the room? Just as in the king's bedchamber, court etiquette was strictly observed in the queen's room. Every morning, four or more attendants helped the queen dress, beginning with her undergarments.

Do you see the door beside the bed? The king had a private bedchamber in addition to his public one. Through that door, the queen could go directly to the king's private bedchamber.

Another door led to the queen's own private retreat. There, away from the formal court ceremonies, she could read or spend time with her closest companions. In 1789, this doorway even served as Marie Antoinette's escape route when she fled from the revolutionary mob that had stormed Versailles.