What royal palace in Seville, Spain, is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe?

The royal palace in Seville, Spain, that is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe is the Alcázar of Seville.

The palace complex began as an Islamic-era citadel. The Umayyad ruler Abd al-Rahman III established an early fortified enclosure around 913–914, and later rulers of the Abbadid and Almohad dynasties expanded the site into a much larger palace center. After Seville was conquered by Castile in 1248, Christian monarchs rebuilt and adapted the complex.

Its most celebrated section is the Mudéjar palace commissioned by Pedro I of Castile in the 1360s. The palace combines Islamic-influenced decoration with Gothic and Renaissance additions, including richly patterned tiles, carved plasterwork, courtyards, reflecting pools, and the domed Hall of the Ambassadors. This mixture reflects Seville's layered history rather than a single architectural period.

The Alcázar remains an active royal residence: members of Spain's royal family use its upper rooms when visiting Seville. It is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies. The Alhambra and Generalife are historic royal complexes in Granada, but they are not the same palace and are not still used as an active royal residence.