I have read that- I hope I remember well which king it was- when Louis XIV would get up in the morning, a few ministers and a doctor would be present to see that the king was fine. Was the same etiquette for Louis XVI? We all know Marie-Antoinette had to endure a ceremony of getting dressed, what about her husband?

Even more so! He was the King after all

Louis XVI would usually rise very early to work, but then go back to his bed after a couple of hours for the official rising ceremony that daily occurred, and then the ceremonial dressing.

Poor King....so much precious work time wasted

I was wondering how the ceremonial happened if the King was sharing his bedroom with the Qeeen. Who was dressed first? I mean it would be embarassing for them to be dressed at the same time as, for example, court men would be present to dress the King and would see the same thing happen to the Queen, and vice versa. Or they shared seperate rooms?

When the King slept with the Queen, he would go back to his own bed and his own room in the morning for the ceremony of the lever. There was a private passage uniting his room to hers.

And thank God, or la reine would have been massacred by those horrid fish women.

Indeed. I wonder what remarks they could think of then! :/

Hellou, what do you mean?

If they saw the King in Marie Antoinette's bed. I don't even want to think of the things they would say!

"Long night madame?"
Ahaha!

Good point!

I think it wouldve been nice to see them together in the mornings.

It would be nice, to see if there might be proof that the marriage would have been consummated or if a child was the result! *wink* *wink* *nudge nudge* say no more!

I think that the Valets de Chambre regularly checked the sheets, although after seven years of waiting maybe their vigilance became a little less strict. This was quite common practice at the Court, especially after a first night. After all non consummation was considered as basically an insult to the country of origin of the foreign Queen...one forgets that. Louis XVI should have quite simply taken his wife, she would not have objected, her rôle was passive, she was there for that. The fault lies with him, even though as Marie-Thérèse points out the dauphine hardly encourages him by her later behaviour. But by then the damage was done and she had no doubt been hurt by his early indifference or lack of enthusiasm. As for sleeping in the same bed, for generations Kings had retired to the beds of their favourites after having "served" the Queen or not as the case may be. Though in that respect Louis XVI broke new ground...a King sleeping resolutely alone.

I was not aware that not consummating the marriage was an insult to her mother!