If you’ve never seen it, then you could be forgiven for picturing the Stone of Scone (also known as the Stone of Destiny) – on which Scottish kings were historically crowned – as some elaborately carved ancient relic, with beautiful detail and intricate iconography.
However, for those who have seen it, the reality is rather less arresting. The understated stone, which can be found in the Crown Room of Edinburgh Castle, displayed alongside the Honours of Scotland, is a coarse lump of oblong sandstone with an iron ring at either end, with a rough rectangle cut into the top and a couple of crosses etched in.
Nevertheless, each year, many of the more than 2 million visitors to Edinburgh Castle will go to see it, such is its legendary status, and in 2023 even more people will see the stone as it looks set to star in the coronation ceremony of King Charles III on 6 May.
Just a year after its star turn in the coronation, the stone will be rehomed in the revamped City Hall in Perth, (renamed Perth
