The Royal Palace is a complex of buildings, which serves as the royal residence of the king of Cambodia. Royalty has occupied it since it was built in the 1860s, with a period of absence when the country came into turmoil during and after the reign of the Khmer Rouge.
The palace was constructed after King Norodom relocated the royal capital from Oudong to Phnom Penh in the mid-19th century. It was built on top of an old citadel called Banteay Kev. It faces towards the East and is situated at the Western bank of the cross division of the Tonle Sap River and the Mekong River.
Most of the complex is open to the public with the exception of the royal living areas.