[1] It was built in 1870 by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke, as a wedding gift to his wife, Margaret Alice Lili de Windt.

[2][3] The palace is not normally open to the public, although the landscaped gardens are, which can be reached by a boat ride across the Sarawak River.

[4] The Astana,[5] then called Government House, was built in 1870 by the second White Rajah, Charles Brooke, as a wedding gift to his wife, Margaret Alice Lili de Windt.

[1][2][4] The couple married at Highworth, Wiltshire on 28 October 1869 and she was then raised to the title of Ranee of Sarawak with the style of Her Highness.

The Astana has since undergone major renovations and alterations befitting it as the official residence of the governor of Sarawak.