Coronation of Charles III: the "stone of destiny" on its way to London

Europe1 .fr with AFP 16:55 p.m., April 28, 2023, modified at 16:56 p.m., April 28, 2023

The "stone of destiny", one of the centrepieces of King Charles III's coronation on May 6, is on its way Friday to Westminster Abbey in London, leaving Scotland for the first time in a quarter century.

A ceremony was held Thursday evening at Edinburgh Castle to mark the departure of this block of sandstone symbol of the Scottish monarchy and brought from Scotland as spoils of war by Edward I in the fourteenth century. At the end of a trip under high security, the stone of 152 kilos will lodge in its location under the chair of King Edward, an oak throne more than two meters high, at the center of the coronations for more than 700 years.

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Briefly stolen by Scottish students during a daring epic in 1950, the stone was symbolically returned to Scotland in 1996, in the midst of rising independence sentiment. But it was agreed that she should return from Edinburgh Castle to Westminster for coronations.

The mythical origin of this stone

After the ceremony for the departure of the stone, Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf, who aims to lead Scotland to independence and leave the bosom of the British monarchy, hailed a "historic moment" in which he said he was "delighted" to take part.

According to legend, the stone was transported from the Holy Land through Egypt, Sicily, Spain and Ireland before being laid out in a monastery in Scone, Scotland, in the ninth century and then used for centuries for coronations of Scottish kings.

But, says David Breeze, professor of history and archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, it is very likely that it actually came from the kingdom of the Scottish Picts. "The origin of the stone has long been steeped in myth," the historian told Times Radio.

Manhunt

"The connection to the Middle East is strong, and in the Middle Ages the idea that the stone was Jacob's pillow was used to justify territorial expansion," he said. "We believe the connection to Scone is strong and it is highly likely that it has its origins in the ancient Pictish kingdom in Scotland."

According to Historic Environment Scotland, the body that keeps the stone, scientific analysis has confirmed that it was the same one that was taken from Scone by King Edward I.

He had ordered it to be integrated into the coronation chair in 1296. "Edward was making a statement about the status of Scotland," said Ewen Cameron, professor of Scottish history at the University of Edinburgh. "One chronicler had claimed that his transfer to London was in recognition of a conquered kingdom that surrendered."

The stone remained in Westminster Abbey for most of the next 650 years, until Christmas Eve 1950, when a group of Scottish students embarked on a bold undertaking: to recover it.

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After the larceny, a manhunt with roadblocks on the Anglo-Scottish border had been launched but its authors had already managed to pass the stone to the north. They later said they had to secretly hire a stonemason to restore it after a fall occurred while transporting it to their car.

National Heroes

The stone was later found at Arbroath Abbey, where the Scottish nation was proclaimed in 1320 under King Robert I of Scotland. It was brought back to London in 1951, where it regained its place under the throne for the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.

One of the students, Ian Hamilton, had begun to arouse police suspicion when investigators discovered that he had taken all the books he could about Westminster Abbey from a library in Glasgow.

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The four students, hailed as national heroes, will never be prosecuted. Ian Hamilton, who became one of Scotland's most respected lawyers, died last year at the age of 97. His book, titled "Taking the Stone of Destiny," was brought to the screen in "Stone of Destiny" with comedian Charlie Cox.

The stone returned to Edinburgh in 1996, on the condition that it go back to London for coronations.