Oh, the great 12th century in England. Did you think we were playing Disney fairy tales for kids? This is a serious work of history. :D

But even a full-fledged consummation did not take place without witnesses, for if the husband and wife never became physically intimate, the marriage could be annulled. Therefore, the young couple were accompanied in the bedroom by experienced female relatives, from whom the newlyweds were separated only by a thin veil. They could even unobtrusively help the bride and groom - for example, offer a little wine for courage.

In England and Scotland, to confirm that the royal marriage took place, the archbishop, the king's mother and other important persons - up to 20 people in total - could be invited to the matrimonial bed.