...By Judah Olanisebee for TDPel Media.
Stone of Destiny Arrives in London for Coronation: A Symbol of Unity and Friendship
The arrival of the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, at Westminster Abbey ahead of the coronation ceremony, was marked with a service, and the Dean of Westminster, Dr. David Hoyle, paid tribute to the “deep friendship” between England and Scotland.
The 125kg stone was transported from Edinburgh Castle to London and will be placed in the Coronation Chair for the King’s enthronement, after which it will be returned to Scotland.
The Dean, addressing the congregation, said that citizens of all kingdoms should find a home in the Kingdom of Christ, acknowledging what unites them.
The service included prayers by the Reverend Mark Birch and the abbey’s Sub-Dean Reverend David Stanton, as well as hymns sung by the Robin Chapel Choir, from Edinburgh, and the national anthem.
The Lord Lyon of Scotland, Joseph Morrow, said that the stone’s arrival at Westminster Abbey for the coronation was a symbol of “unity” and “friendship”.
Professor David Fergusson, the Dean of the Chapel Royal in Scotland, added that the stone had transformed from being a “spoil of war” to a “symbol of unity”.
The Stone of Destiny has been used for the inauguration of monarchs since as early as the accession of Malcolm III of Scotland in 1058.
It was taken from its place in the Abbey of Scone to Westminster Abbey in 1296 by King Edward I as an act of enmity.
It was returned to Scotland in 1996 by command of Queen Elizabeth II in an act of amity.
The stone’s present journey to Westminster Abbey is a symbol of unity and friendship, and it will be kept there until its return to Scotland after the coronation.
