The Stone of Scone, a historic symbol of monarchy in both England and Scotland, will be transported from Edinburgh Castle to London ahead of King Charles III's coronation. Also known as the Stone of Destiny, this 24-stone red sandstone was used for the inauguration of Scottish kings for centuries in 1296, when was seized by King Edward I, who then had it built into a throne at Westminster Abbey.
King Charles III's late mother, Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, sat above the stone during her own coronation ceremony in 1953, at the age of just 25. It's understood that it will also feature during King Charles' upcoming coronation, however, a date for the ceremony has yet to be set.
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The stone ended up making headlines all over the world back in 1950, three years before the then Princess Elizabeth would ascend the throne, after a group of Scottish students from the University of Glasgow broke into Westminster Abbey and took it.
Law student Ian Hamilton managed to get into the abbey unseen via a side door in the early hours of Christmas morning, alongside co-conspirators Kay Matheson, Alan Stuart, and Gavin Vernon, and made off with the stone in a Ford Anglia.
As per The Ultimate History Project, the theft was discovered almost immediately, however, the students managed to evade the police for a number of months, with the stone finally recovered at the medieval Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, in April 1951.
Speaking of the theft years late, Hamilton, who went on to become a criminal lawyer, remarked: “I’ve defended a lot of daft people during 30 years as a criminal lawyer but I doubt very much if I’ve defended anyone who was as daft as we were then.”
The stone was officially returned to Scotland in 1996, and is now kept at the majestic Edinburgh Castle, close to the Palace of Holyroodhouse where Queen Elizabeth's coffin rested following the royal family's recent sombre journey from Balmoral.
According to the Edinburgh Castle website: "Today, it is one of the priceless treasures on display in the Crown Room, visited by millions of people each year. The stone will only leave Scotland again for a coronation in Westminster Abbey.
"The Stone is displayed alongside the Crown Jewels in the Royal Palace on the east side of Crown Square."
As previously reported by BBC News, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has confirmed the stone will indeed be making the 500-mile journey to London ahead of the first coronation in more than 70 years.
