Prominent Scottish Politician Tries to Stop Westminster From Using Coronation Stone
Following the announcement that King Charles iii will be crowned on May 6, a debate has broken out in Scotland over whether the stone of Scone should be shipped from Edinburgh Castle to Westminster Abbey.
More than 30 monarchs have been crowned above the stone of Scone since King Edward i brought it from Scotland to England in 1296. Queen Elizabeth ii sent it back to Scotland in 1996, on the 700th anniversary of its arrival in Westminster. The current plan is to send the stone to Westminster so King Charles iii can be crowned above it. But Scottish National Party politician Ash Regan told the Scottish Mail on Sunday that there is time to ensure the coronation stone stays in Scotland.
While I appreciate the tradition of using the stone of destiny in the coronation, I believe it should remain in Scotland as an ancient symbol of our national heritage. I suggest a compromise in which the aspects of the coronation ceremony involving the stone take place in Scotland so that it can be celebrated in its rightful place without needing to be removed from the country. This would be a fitting tribute to the stone’s significance in Scottish history while still honoring the traditions of the United Kingdom of the crowns.
—Ash Regan
Only 3,000 people have signed the petition calling for the stone of Scone to remain in Scotland, so it may be not affect the current plan to send the stone back to Westminster for King Charles’s coronation.
Long history: Past disputes over this coronation stone have been bloody. The ninth-century Scottish King Kenneth MacAlpin moved the coronation stone from the Isle of Ionia to the city of Scone to commemorate his victories over the Picts. And 13th-century English King Edward i moved the stone from Scone to Westminster Abbey to commemorate his victories over the Scots.
The coronation stone’s history stretches back to Ireland and biblical Israel. Scottish annals say this is the same stone that the biblical patriarch Jacob used as a pillow (Genesis 28:18-22) and that was brought to Tara Hill in Ireland by a Spanish prince centuries before the Scottish King Fergus Mor moved it to Ionia. So the coronation stone doesn’t belong to Scotland so much as it belongs to the British royal family (which descends from the ancient Irish and medieval Scottish kings crowned at Tara, Ionia and Scone).
A great mistake: After Queen Elizabeth ii sent the stone to Scotland, Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in the August 1996 Philadelphia Trumpet: “I believe this stone is the most precious physical thing on this Earth. I also believe that Queen Elizabeth just made the worst decision of her life! And the British government has made the biggest mistake in its history! … Their actions have scorned the omnipotent, living God. And there is going to be a terrifying penalty unless they repent.”
At one time, British royals were willing to risk their lives for the coronation stone because of what it represented. Now they are content to let political parties decide whether the stone is used in King Charles iii’s coronation ceremony. To learn why the royal family’s lackadaisical attitude toward the stone of Scone is important, read The United States and Britain in Prophecy, by Herbert W. Armstrong, and The New Throne of David, by Gerald Flurry.
