During the Khmer Rouge period, the Royal Palace still served as a royal residence for the royal family and the late king Norodom Sihanouk, who at that time was the head of the Democratic Kampuchea government until April 1976. He lived under house arrest within the Royal Palace compound for several years until late 1978 when he was moved to a villa behind Wat Botum.

The Khmer Rouge leaders also brought foreign delegates to visit the palace. Among the photographs found by DC-Cam, there were some photos of Khmer Rouge leaders bringing foreign visitors to the Silver Pagoda.