The palace grounds were once part of a very old regal development dating back to the Middle Ages, which was originally called the Coudenberg Palace. This Medieval palace was built in the second half of the 11th and first half of the 12th Century and looked more like a fortified castle, which formed the first line of defence to the city of Brussels. It was the residence of the Duke of Brabant who lived in the nearby city of Leuven. Over the years the palace was rebuilt and redesigned, extended and improved in line with the increased status of the Dukes of Brabant and their successors. The famous 15th-century Throne Room known as the Aula Magna was constructed for Philip the Good. It has witnessed many great historic moments including the abdication of Emperor Charles V, who gave the Belgian crown to his son, Philip II of Spain in 1555. This key historical moment is depicted in the paintings, which adorn the palace walls. This impressive room was unfortunately destroyed by a fire in 1731 and it was only in 1775 that the ruins were cleared and the Royal Palace constructed. Many archaeological organisations have conducted detailed searches of the site and discovered various remains from different eras of the palace’s life as well as items of historic interest from the surrounding town.

After the Belgian Revolution in 1830, the palace was given to Leopold of Saxe-Coburg when he became the King of Belgium. Just like his predecessor William II he used the palace mainly for official meetings and other representational purposes and lived in the nearby Royal Castle of Laeken. During his reign few changes were made to the palace. However, his son thought the building too modest for a king and on his reign he enlarged and redecorated almost doubling its surface area. Leading architect, Alphonse Balat played a major role in the redesign; he designed rooms like the Throne Room, the Grand Staircase and the Grande Gallerie. Balat also planned a new façade but died before the plans could be executed. The present day façade was designed in 1904 according to the plans of architect Henri Maquet. In his new design the palace received a formal front garden which separates the building from the Place des Palais.

One of the most famous pieces in the palace is the ceiling and the central chandelier in the Mirror Room. This magnificent construction is adorned with wing cases from over a million Thai jewel beetles. This amazing feat of art manifests the natural light with a remarkable force. Jan Fabre and his team of 29 artists spent three months completing this painstaking task. Another notable sight is the Empire Room, which contains 11 golden pots filled with earth and flowers from each of the 11 Belgian provinces. The Royal Palace of Brussels has been open to the public since 1965 and is open from May to the beginning of September.