In 1863, the only meeting between Ludwig and Otto von Bismarck was held in Nymphenburg, although they remained connected in a lifelong friendship. Today, Nymphenburg is open to the public but also continues to be a home and chancery for the head of the House of Wittelsbach, currently Franz, Duke of Bavaria.

Nymphenburg Palace in Munich remains the primary residence of the Head of the House of Wittelsbach, the former ruling royal family of Bavaria. As of 2026, Franz, Duke of Bavaria, occupies an apartment in the central pavilion of the palace. While the palace was opened to the public as a museum and park long ago, the Wittelsbach family retained the right to reside in certain wings through a deal made with the Free State of Bavaria after the monarchy was abolished in 1918. Specifically, the Duke lives in a private section that is not accessible to tourists. The palace is managed by the Bavarian Administration of State-Owned Palaces, Gardens, and Lakes, which oversees the vast museum collections and the expansive park. This arrangement makes Nymphenburg a rare "living palace" where high-ranking European nobility continues to reside amidst one of the city's most visited historical landmarks, maintaining a direct physical link to Bavaria's centuries-old monarchical history.