Classroom lesson · Royal Regalia Museum · 🇧🇳 Brunei

Royal Regalia Museum

A dazzling museum full of golden treasures and royal carriages

The grand entrance of the Royal Regalia Museum in Bandar Seri Begawan

Photo · Wikimedia Commons

What is it?

The Royal Regalia Museum in Brunei's capital is full of spectacular golden objects, jewelled gifts, and ceremonial carriages given to mark special royal occasions. It is one of the most glittering museums in Southeast Asia, and entry is completely free for everyone.

Tell me more

When you walk into the museum, the first thing you notice is the gleam. Display cases are filled with crowns, golden swords, jewelled ceremonial weapons, and gifts received from leaders all around the world. Some objects are encrusted with thousands of precious stones that catch the light from every angle.

One of the most eye-catching exhibits is the Golden Chariot — a huge ornate carriage made from gold-plated metal, used during grand ceremonies. It looks like something from a fairy tale, pulled by white horses through the streets of the capital. Visitors can walk all around it and admire the detailed carvings.

The museum also has a hall of gifts from foreign heads of state — tiny models of buildings, hand-painted plates, carved animals, and fabrics from dozens of different countries. Looking at them is like taking a mini trip around the world. The museum is free to enter, so it is a favourite outing for school groups and families.

In the classroom

Walk your class through this in 15 minutes.

Talk together

Discussion prompts

  1. 01Museums are often free so that everyone can enjoy them. Do you think that is a good idea? Why?
  2. 02If you were given a gift to put in a museum, what would it say about where you come from?
  3. 03The museum has objects from all over the world. What does that tell us about how countries connect with each other?
Try this

Classroom activity

Create your own class 'Regalia Box'. Each child draws or writes about one special object — real or imaginary — that represents something important about themselves or their family. Compile all the contributions into a class display and give it a museum label.