Ancient Stone of Destiny arrives from Scotland for King Charles’ Coronation
When King Charles III is crowned at his Coronation, he will be sitting on a large historic rock. Discover why the Stone of Destiny is so important and learn 10 more facts about the royal event
READING LEVEL: GREEN
The Stone of Destiny, an ancient* stone upon which British kings and queens have been crowned for centuries, has arrived in London from Scotland ahead of this weekend’s Coronation of King Charles III.
Also known as the Stone of Scone, it was moved from its permanent home at Edinburgh Castle under tight security for the first time in more than 25 years.
The 125kg oblong block of pinkish sandstone will be placed inside Charles’ chair for the Coronation at London’s Westminster Abbey at 11am on Saturday, May 6 (8pm AEST).
It was used for the Coronation of Scotland’s kings until it was seized* more than 700 years ago by the then-King of England, Edward I. It has been used in the Coronation ceremonies of English and British monarchs* since Henry IV in 1399.
On Christmas Day in 1950, the stone was taken from Westminster Abbey by a gang of four Scotsmen but was recovered a few months later 800km away at Arbroath Abbey in Scotland.
It was moved to Scotland permanently in 1996. It will return to Edinburgh Castle again after Charles’ Coronation.
WHAT IS A CORONATION?
It is the crowning of a new King or Queen. When Queen Elizabeth II died in September last year, Prince Charles immediately became King but his Coronation is the official ceremony to mark his new royal role.
AUSTRALIAN CONNECTIONS
An ornate gold carriage made in Australia will carry King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for the ceremony.
Australian Jim Frecklington started building it in his Sydney workshop in 2000 and finished it in 2012 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.
Mr Frecklington cared for the Queen’s show horses when he worked for the royal household and said he considered her to be one of the “greatest monarchs”. He said it was “special” to see the carriage being used for the Coronation. It weighs more than three tonnes, is 5m long, and needs six horses to pull it.
A small number of well-known Australian athletes, artists and advocates will join Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Coronation, including Governor-General David Hurley, state governors, singer-songwriter Nick Cave, comedian Adam Hills and opera singer Yvonne Kenny. Football star and Matildas’ captain Sam Kerr will be the Australian flag-bearer.
Eighteen-year-old Tayla Green-Aldridge, who is a proud Indigenous woman and graduate of the Prince’s Trust Australia ‘Get Into Maritime*’ program was thrilled to be invited.
“I am actually going to be part of history. It still feels unreal, like it’s not happening to me,” she told the Women’s Weekly magazine.
10 CORONATION FACTS
1. Charles will be crowned with the St Edward’s Crown which has been used since the 1300s. A new crown was made in 1661, because the old one got melted down during a war. This one weighs 2.2kg, is made of solid gold and has 244 precious* stones.
2. Charles’ mum Queen Elizabeth II had 8251 guests at her Coronation in 1953, but Charles is only inviting 2000.
3. At 73, Charles will be the oldest royal ever crowned in British history.
4. The Coronation is expected to attract an international audience of 300 million through TV and live-streaming coverage.
5. When Charles is anointed, his head, chest and hands will be touched with holy oil. He will then be handed objects symbolising his power — the orb* and scepter* and the crown.
6. The Coronation Quiche is the official recipe to mark the day.
7. Australian landmarks and buildings will light up in royal purple colours at the weekend.
8. The official emblem pays tribute to the King’s love of the natural world, joining plants of the four nations of the UK; the rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, the daffodil of Wales and the shamrock of Northern Ireland in a crown shape.
9. The King has asked 12 musicians to create new music for his Coronation.
10. After the ceremony, the King will appear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace to greet the people.
GLOSSARY
- ancient: very old
- seized: grabbed
- monarchs: kings or queens
- maritime: relating to the sea
- precious: of great value or a high price
- anointed: dedicated to God
- orb: a circle or sphere
- scepter: baton carried by a ruler
EXTRA READING
King Charles immortalised in chocolate
World mourns loss of Queen Elizabeth II
King Charles dumped from our $5 note
QUICK QUIZ
- What is another name for the Stone of Destiny?
- Where is it permanently housed?
- How heavy is the Australian-made carriage for the King?
- Who will carry Australia’s flag at the event?
- What is the name of the crown King Charles III will wear?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Write a Coronation rap
Your teacher will place you into groups of two to four. As a group, brainstorm some facts and interesting information you’ve read about the King’s Coronation.
From these facts make a list of some rhyming words. You could also look at the thesaurus or rhyming dictionary.
Choose a title for your rap.
Now work on your chorus. The chorus loops through after each verse of your rap. The chorus should contain the key facts about the King’s Coronation.
Now for the verses … For each verse focus on a different key point about the new King or the Coronation ceremony itself.
Now put some rap ‘boom box’ sound effects behind it and see how it sounds. You may need to change a few words here and there to ensure it fits in with your chosen beat and sounds right.
Put your cap on back to front, add in some dance moves and you’re ready to perform your rap to the class or record it on video.
Time: allow 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, The Arts, Personal and social, Critical and creative thinking
2. Extension
What do you think the Coronation means to us as Australians?
Will your family celebrate the event?
If you could ask King Charles one question or request, what would it be?
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, History, Critical and Creative thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
BAB it!
Show you have read and understood the article by writing three sentences using the connectives “because’’, “and”, and “but” (BAB). Your sentences can share different facts or opinions, or the same ones but written about in different ways.