The Stone of Destiny – the 152kg block of sandstone that is the centerpiece of King Charles III’s coronation on May 6 – left on Friday after a ceremony at Edinburgh Castle in Scotland for the first time in a quarter of a century and was taken to Westminster Abbey. , in London, AFP reports, News.ro reports.

A ceremony was held at Edinburgh Castle on Thursday evening to mark the passing of this block of sandstone. The stone, a symbol of the Scottish monarchy, was a spoil of war for King Edward I of England and has been part of the coronation chair for over 700 years.

Briefly stolen by Scottish students in an audacious epic in 1950, the stone was symbolically returned to Scotland in 1996 amid rising separatist sentiment.

The sandstone block remains in Scotland except for coronations when it returns to Westminster.

After the stone-laying ceremony, Scottish Prime Minister Humza Yousaf, who has ambitions for Scottish independence and leaving the British monarchy, hailed the “historic moment”, saying he was “thrilled”. ” participate.

What is the stone of destiny and what is its history

According to legend, the stone was brought from the Holy Land via Egypt, Sicily, Spain and Ireland and was deposited in a monastery at Scone in Scotland in the 9th century, after which it was used for centuries in the coronation of Scottish kings.

But it is very likely that it actually comes from the Scottish kingdom of the Picts, says David Breese, a professor of history and archeology at the University of Edinburgh.

“The origin of the stone has long been shrouded in myth,” a historian told Times Radio.

“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 says.

“We believe that the connection with Scone is strong and that it is very likely that it has its origins in the former Pictish kingdom of Scotland.”

According to Historic Environment Scotland, the body responsible for the stone’s conservation, scientific analysis has confirmed that it is a stone taken from Scone by King Edward I of England.

He ordered to integrate it into the coronation chair in 1296.

“In this way Edward made a statement about the status of Scotland,” says Ewan Cameron, professor of Scottish history at the University of Edinburgh.

“One chronicler said that her move to London represented recognition of a conquered kingdom that had surrendered,” he adds.

The stone remained in Westminster Abbey for the next 650 years, until Christmas Eve 1950, when a group of Scottish students undertook the daring venture of reclaiming it.

After the robbery, a chase begins, and a barricade is erected on the Anglo-Scottish border.

But the thieves had already managed to transfer the stone to the north.

The students said they secretly hired a mason to repair the damage caused by the fall.

Then the police suspected one of the students, Ian Hamilton.

Investigators discovered that he borrowed all the books about Westminster Abbey from a library in Glasgow.

Later the stone was found.

The four students, hailed as national heroes, were never charged.

Ian Hamilton, who died last year aged 97, became one of Scotland’s most respected barristers.

He told his story of the heist in a book called “Taking the Stone of Destiny”, adapted into “Stone of Destiny” with Charlie Cox.

Found in Arbroath Abbey, where the Scottish nation was proclaimed in 1320 during the reign of King Robert I of Scotland, the stone was returned to London in 1951.

She again took her place under the throne at the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.

The sandstone block returned to Edinburgh in 1996, where it remains, subject to being transported to London for the coronation.

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