Looking at it, it can look like any stone, a square boulder from the past. In fact “The stone of Destiny”. This ancient symbol of the Scottish monarchy, also known as the “Bun Stone” and was used for the coronation of the kings of Scotland until it was captured by the then King Edward I of England over 700 years ago. Now it is in Westminster Abbey, in recent days it was brought from Edinburgh to London with a solemn ceremony and is part of the symbols that adorn the ceremony in honor of the new king.
History of the coronation stone
The stone is 66 cm long, 42 cm wide and 26.7 cm deep, weighs about 152 kg and has an engraved cross and an iron ring at each end. For many years it was kept in Westminster Abbey as part of the coronation chair.. On Christmas Day 1950, four students from Glasgow broke into Westminster Abbey and stole the stone to return it the following year. It was not until 1996 that she was finally returned to Scotland, however with the agreement that she would be transported to England for all future coronation ceremonies. The stone, of course, was also present at the coronation of Elizabeth II.
The origin of this sacred stone is lost in time between legends and doubts about its authenticity have not been completely dispelled. The oldest stories claim that Jacob spent the night in Luz, sleeping next to a rock he used as a pillow. Just that night he dreamed of angels going up and down the stairs, and God revealed to him that he would give him the land on which he rested, and that he would protect him wherever he went. Upon awakening, Jacob anointed the stone with sacred oil as a symbol of his covenant with the Lord (so it will be the Covenant Stone).
It is unclear how the stone came to Scotland.. It is said that 1400 years before the birth of Christ, an Egyptian pharaoh had a daughter named Scota, who settled in exile in northwestern Spain, taking with her a stone that belonged to the pharaoh. His descendants later conquered Ireland and became known as the Scots before arriving in Scotland in 500 AD. It is believed that the first king to be crowned on the Stone of Destiny was Fergus McErk, considered one of the founders of Scotland. And King Charles will definitely not be the last.
Source: Elle