The Royal Museum () along Jalan Istana was the former National Palace () and former residence of the (Supreme King) of Malaysia. It stands on a 13-acre (50,000 m<sup>2</sup>) site, located on a commanding position on the slope of a hill of Bukit Petaling overlooking the Klang River, along Jalan Syed Putra.
It was replaced by the new national palace as the official residence of the king in 2011. In 2013, it was converted into the Royal Museum and referred as Old Istana Negara.
History
The palace was originally a double-storey mansion called The Big House built in 1928 by a local Chinese millionaire, Chan Wing. During the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, it was used as the residence of the Japanese Governor. After the surrender of the Japanese on 15 August 1945, the British Military Administration (BMA) commandeered it for a senior military officers mess from the rank of brigadier. With the formation of the Federation of Malaya in 1950, the Selangor State Government rented the residence from the owners for 5000 Malayan dollars monthly and renovated it to become the palace of the Sultan of Selangor until Malaya gained independence in 1957. In 1957, the owners sold the property of 13 acres to the Federal Government at an agreed valuation of 1.4 million Malayan dollars. The Federal Government then converted the residence into the Istana Negara (National Palace) for the newly created sovereign post of Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaya which was scheduled for independence on 31 August 1957 as scheduled. Since then it has undergone several renovations and extensions. But the most extensive upgrading was carried out in 1980, as it was the first time that the installation ceremony of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was held at the Istana Negara. Prior to this the Installation Ceremonies were held at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Hall in Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur with the first one held in 1957.
After the Istana Negara was moved to the new palace on Jalan Duta in December 2011, it was later used for a royal exhibition called Raja Kita, in conjunction with the installation of Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah as the 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 2012. The exhibition started on 15 April 2012 and was later extended to 8 December 2012. Over 314,757 visitors, both local and foreign visited the exhibition between 15 April and 7 December.
It was decided that starting in 2013, two guards in Malay traditional attire would be stationed at the main gateway of the old Istana Negara to revive the nostalgia and tradition of the Malay Sultanate. Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim said the practice will help retain the old palace as a must-visit tourist destination.