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86-567: The Coronation Chair , also known as St Edward's Chair or King Edward's Chair , is an ancient wooden chair on which British monarchs sit when they are invested with regalia and crowned at their coronations . It was commissioned in 1296 by King Edward I to contain the Stone of Scone , which he had captured from the Scots. The chair was named after Edward the Confessor and for centuries (until 1997) it

172-583: A burial vault under Abbot Islip's Chapel, situated off the north ambulatory of the abbey. Other than the Dean, Paul de Labilliere and the Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey , Charles Peers , only a few other people knew of its hiding place. Worried that the secret could be lost if all of them were killed during the war, Peers drew up three maps showing its location. Two were sent in sealed envelopes to Canada, one to

258-448: A constitutional ruler, must ultimately accept the decisions of the prime minister and Cabinet, who by definition enjoy the confidence of the House of Commons. In Bagehot's words: "the sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy ... three rights – the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn." Although the royal prerogative is extensive and parliamentary approval

344-415: A gentleman has thus deciphered. – 'The sconce (or shadow) of kingdom come, until Sylphs in air carry me again to Bethel.' These plates exhibit the figures of targets for the arms. From time immemorial it has been believed among us here, that unseen hands brought Jacob's pillow from Bethel and dropped it on the site where the palace of Scoon now stands. A strong belief is also entertained by many in this part of

430-617: A handover ceremony at the border between representatives of the Home Office and of the Scottish Office , the stone was transported to Edinburgh Castle . An official handover ceremony occurred in the Castle on 30 November 1996, St Andrew's Day , to mark the arrival of the stone. Prince Andrew, Duke of York , representing Queen Elizabeth II, formally handed over the Royal Warrant transferring

516-541: A major redevelopment of the existing display. In December 2020, the Scottish Government announced that the stone would be relocated to the Perth Museum. The museum opened on 30 March 2024, with the stone as one of its main exhibits. In September 2022, Historic Environment Scotland announced that the stone would temporarily return to Westminster Abbey for the coronation of Charles III . It subsequently left

602-496: A majority in that House. The prime minister takes office by attending the monarch in a private audience, and after " kissing hands " that appointment is immediately effective without any other formality or instrument. The sovereign also has the power to dismiss the prime minister, but the last time this power was exercised was in 1834, when William IV dismissed Lord Melbourne ; since then, prime ministers have only left office upon their resignation, which they are expected to offer to

688-553: A round chair, on which future kings were placed for their coronation, according to custom. Various theories and legends exist about the stone's history prior to its placement in Scone. One story concerns Fergus, son of Erc , the first King of the Scots ( r.   c.  498  – 501 ) in Scotland, whose transport of the Stone from Ireland to Argyll , where he was crowned on it,

774-680: A similar relationship to the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland as to the government of the UK. The sovereign appoints the First Minister of Scotland on the nomination of the Scottish Parliament , and the First Minister of Wales on the nomination of the Senedd . In Scottish matters, the sovereign acts on the advice of the Scottish Government . However, as devolution

860-655: Is further both mentioned in and the subject of songs, loyal toasts, and salutes. " God Save the King " (or, alternatively, "God Save the Queen") is the British national anthem . Oaths of allegiance are made to the Sovereign and their lawful successors. The monarch takes little direct part in government. The authority to use the sovereign's formal powers is almost all delegated, either by statute or by convention , to ministers or officers of

946-663: Is marked by the State Opening of Parliament , during which the monarch reads the speech from the throne in the chamber of the House of Lords, outlining the Government's legislative agenda. Prorogation usually occurs about one year after a session begins, and formally concludes the session. Dissolution ends a parliamentary term, and is followed by a general election for all seats in the House of Commons. If not dissolved sooner, Parliaments are automatically dissolved after five years. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 temporarily removed

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1032-769: Is more limited in Wales, in Welsh matters the monarch acts on the advice of the prime minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom. The sovereign can veto any law passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly , if it is deemed unconstitutional by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland . The sovereign is deemed the "fount of justice"; although the monarch does not personally rule in judicial cases, judicial functions are performed in his or her name. For instance, prosecutions are brought on

1118-482: Is not formally required for its exercise, it is limited. Many Crown prerogatives have fallen out of use or have been permanently transferred to Parliament. For example, the sovereign cannot impose and collect new taxes; such an action requires the authorisation of an Act of Parliament. According to a parliamentary report, "The Crown cannot invent new prerogative powers", and Parliament can override any prerogative power by passing legislation. The royal prerogative includes

1204-409: Is used to pardon convicted offenders or reduce sentences. The sovereign is the " fount of honour ", the source of all honours and dignities in the United Kingdom. The Crown creates all peerages , appoints members of the orders of chivalry , grants knighthoods and awards other honours. Although peerages and most other honours are granted on the advice of the prime minister, some honours are within

1290-409: The monastery of Scone , three kilometres (two miles) north of Perth:  Apud Monasterium de Scone positus est lapis pergrandis in ecclesia Dei, juxta magnum altare, concavus quidem ad modum rotundae cathedrae confectus, in quo futuri reges loco quasi coronationis ponebantur ex more. At the monastery of Scone, in the church of God, near to the high altar, was placed a large stone, hollowed out as

1376-529: The British Army , and the Royal Air Force ), and accredits British High commissioners and ambassadors, and receives heads of missions from foreign states. The sovereign has the power to appoint the prime minister. In accordance with unwritten constitutional conventions, the monarch appoints the individual who commands the support of the House of Commons, usually the leader of a party or coalition that has

1462-563: The February 1974 general election when Harold Wilson was appointed prime minister after Edward Heath resigned following his failure to form a coalition. Although Wilson's Labour Party did not have a majority, they were the largest party. The second followed the May 2010 general election , in which the Conservatives (the largest party) and Liberal Democrats (the third-largest party) agreed to form

1548-571: The First Scottish War of Independence , King Edward I of England took the stone as spoils of war and removed it to Westminster Abbey , where it was fitted into a wooden chair – known as the Coronation Chair or King Edward's Chair – on which most subsequent English and then British sovereigns have been crowned. Edward I sought to claim the status of the "Lord Paramount" of Scotland, with the right to oversee its King. Some doubt exists over

1634-550: The Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England , England agreed to return the captured stone to Scotland; rioting crowds prevented it from being removed from Westminster Abbey. The stone remained in England for another six centuries. When King James VI of Scotland assumed the English throne as James I of England , he was crowned at Westminster Abbey on the stone . For the next century,

1720-522: The Lascelles Principles , if a minority government asked to dissolve Parliament to call an early election to strengthen its position, the monarch could refuse and would do so under three conditions. When Harold Wilson requested a dissolution late in 1974, Queen Elizabeth II granted his request as Heath had already failed to form a coalition. The resulting general election gave Wilson a small majority. The monarch could in theory unilaterally dismiss

1806-478: The Lordship of Ireland . Meanwhile, Magna Carta began the process of reducing the English monarch's political powers. In the 16th century, English and Scottish monarchs played a central role in what became the religious English Reformation and Scottish Reformation , and the English king became King of Ireland . Beginning in 1603, the English and Scottish kingdoms were ruled by a single sovereign . From 1649 to 1660,

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1892-584: The Stuart kings and queens of Scotland once again sat on the stone – but at their coronation as kings and queens of, and in, England. On 11 June 1914, as part of the suffragette bombing and arson campaign of 1912–1914, suffragettes of the Women's Social and Political Union planted a bomb loaded with metal bolts and nuts to act as shrapnel next to the Coronation Chair and Stone; no serious injuries were reported in

1978-554: The petty kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England and early medieval Scotland , which consolidated into the kingdoms of England and Scotland by the 10th century. England was conquered by the Normans in 1066, after which Wales also gradually came under the control of Anglo-Normans . The process was completed in the 13th century when the Principality of Wales became a client state of the English kingdom. The Anglo-Normans also established

2064-422: The 19th century. The constitutional writer Walter Bagehot identified the monarchy in 1867 as the "dignified" rather than the "efficient" part of government. That part of the government's executive authority which remains theoretically and nominally vested in the sovereign is known as the royal prerogative . The monarch acts within the constraints of convention and precedent, exercising prerogative powers only on

2150-516: The Anglo-Saxon period, while the feudal system continued to develop. Stone of Scone The artefact was originally kept at the now-ruined Scone Abbey in Scone , near Perth . In 1296, the forces of King Edward I of England captured it during Edward's invasion of Scotland . The Stone was subsequently used in the coronation of English monarchs and British monarchs for over 500 years. In 1996,

2236-752: The Canadian Prime Minister William King , who deposited it in the Bank of Canada's vault in Ottawa. The other went to the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario , who stored his envelope in the Bank of Montreal in Toronto. Once he had received word that the envelopes had been received, Peers destroyed the third map, which he had been keeping at his bank. Peers later received a suggestion via the Office of Works that

2322-542: The Crown , or other public bodies . Thus the acts of state done in the name of the Crown, such as Crown Appointments, even if personally performed by the monarch, such as the King's Speech and the State Opening of Parliament , depend upon decisions made elsewhere. In formal terms: The sovereign's role as a constitutional monarch is largely limited to non-partisan functions, such as granting honours . This role has been recognised since

2408-509: The Empire to an end. George VI and his successors adopted the title Head of the Commonwealth as a symbol of the free association of its independent member states. The United Kingdom and fourteen other independent sovereign states that share the same person as their monarch are called Commonwealth realms . Although the monarch is shared, each country is sovereign and independent of the others, and

2494-578: The London police were informed of its whereabouts, the stone was returned to Westminster four months after its removal. Afterward, rumours circulated that copies of the stone had been made, and that the returned stone was not the original. On 3 July 1996, in response to a growing discussion around Scottish cultural history, the British Government announced that the stone would return to Scotland, 700 years after it had been taken. On 15 November 1996, after

2580-543: The Police that Scottish emissaries were loose in London, intending to steal the Stone and we had better lock up the Confessor's Chapel, where it is normally kept. On Christmas Day 1950, a group of four Scottish students ( Ian Hamilton , Gavin Vernon , Kay Matheson , and Alan Stuart) removed the stone from Westminster Abbey, intending to return it to Scotland. During the removal process, the stone broke into two pieces. After burying

2666-443: The Stone of Scone , damaging the stone. It was recovered in time for Queen Elizabeth II 's coronation in 1953. In 1996, the stone was returned to Scotland , since when it has been kept at Edinburgh Castle on the proviso that it be returned to England for use at coronations (as happened for the coronation of King Charles III in 2023). (In 2024 the stone is scheduled to be relocated to a new museum at Perth City Hall ). In 1997,

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2752-465: The Stone should be sent to Scotland for safekeeping: I trust the Office of Works will not lend itself to this attempt by the Scotch to get hold of the Stone by a side wind. You cannot be so simple as not to know that this acquisitive nation have ever since the time of Edward I been attempting by fair means or foul, to get possession of the Stone, and during my time at Westminster we have received warnings from

2838-634: The United Kingdom , commonly referred to as the British monarchy , is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state , with their powers regulated by the British Constitution . The term may also refer to the role of the royal family within the UK's broader political structure . The monarch since 8 September 2022 is King Charles III , who ascended

2924-443: The advice of ministers responsible to Parliament, often through the prime minister or Privy Council . In practice, prerogative powers are exercised only on the prime minister's advice – the prime minister, and not the sovereign, has control. The monarch holds a weekly audience with the prime minister; no records of these audiences are taken and the proceedings remain fully confidential. The monarch may express his or her views, but, as

3010-478: The aftermath of the subsequent explosion despite the building having been busy with 80–100 visitors, but the deflagration blew off a corner of the Coronation Chair and broke the Stone in half – although this was not discovered until 1950, when four Scottish nationalists broke into the church to steal the stone and return it to Scotland. Two days after the Westminster Abbey bombing, a second suffragette bomb

3096-489: The castle on 27 April 2023 in a procession led by Joseph Morrow , the Lord Lyon King of Arms , arriving in Westminster Abbey on 29 April. After the coronation on 6 May, the stone was put on temporary display at the abbey before being returned to Edinburgh Castle later in the month. On 15 November 2023, three members of environmental activist group This is Rigged smashed the stone's protective glass case, and spray-painted

3182-472: The ceremony. William III used the original 13th-century chair, while a second chair was made for Mary II, which still resides in the abbey's collections. Gilded lions added in the 16th century form the legs to the chair; they were all replaced in 1727. One of the four lions was given a new head for the coronation of George IV in 1821. The chair itself was originally gilded, painted and inlaid with glass mosaics, traces of which are visible upon inspection of

3268-433: The chair for the occasion, the King was seated on it for his anointing, investiture and crowning. Other chairs are used by the monarch (and consort) for different parts of the coronation ceremony. Chairs of Estate for the sovereign and consort are placed on the south side of the sanctuary : these are used during the first part of the service, prior to the sovereign's anointing and crowning with St Edward's Crown . Later, for

3354-576: The chair has only been removed from Westminster Abbey twice. The first time was for the ceremony in Westminster Hall when Oliver Cromwell was inducted as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England . The second was during the Second World War when, concerned about the risk of it being damaged or destroyed by German air raids, it was moved out of London. On 24 August 1939, the Stone of Scone

3440-530: The chair was the object of a bomb attack thought to have been organised by the Suffragettes . A corner of the chair was broken off in the explosion. Although it was strong enough to shake the abbey walls and loud enough to be heard from inside the Houses of Parliament , none of the 70 people in the abbey at the time was injured, and the Coronation Chair was faithfully restored. Over the eight centuries of its existence,

3526-498: The chair, and the corner posts have been acutely damaged by souvenir hunters. Nails have often been driven into the wood to attach fabric for coronations, and in preparation for Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee , the chair was covered with a coating of brown paint. Sir Gilbert Scott , the Gothic revival architect and antiquary, described the chair as "a magnificent piece of decoration, but sadly mutilated". At 5:40   pm on 11 June 1914,

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3612-469: The chair, especially on the back where outlines of foliage, birds and animals survive. A lost image of a king, maybe Edward the Confessor or Edward I, with his feet resting on a lion was also painted on the back. Today, its appearance is of aged and brittle wood. In the 18th century, tourists could sit on the chair for a small payment to one of the vergers. Tourists, choirboys and boys of Westminster School carved their initials, names and other graffiti into

3698-671: The coronation of Elizabeth II is kept in the Garter Throne Room of Windsor Castle ; while the 1902 Thrones from the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra are on the dais in the Ballroom at Buckingham Palace. A pair of Chairs of Estate (made for the 1902 coronation), which are usually kept in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace, have in recent years been employed when the monarch has addressed both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall . British monarch The monarchy of

3784-554: The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, however, older chairs were reconditioned: All four were restored and given new heraldic embroidery, as appropriate, prior to the coronation in May 2023. Afterwards, the Chairs of Estate were returned to the dais in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace. This room also contains other chairs from past coronations, including: The 1953 Throne from

3870-402: The country that it was only a representation of this Jacob's pillow that Edward sent to Westminster, the sacred stone not having been found by him. The curious here, aware of such traditions, and who have viewed these venerable remains of antiquity, agree that Macbeth may, or rather must, have deposited the stone in question at the bottom of his Castle, on the hill of Dunsinane (from the trouble of

3956-567: The editor of the Morning Chronicle , dated 2 January 1819, states: On the 19th of November, as the servants belonging to the West Mains of Dunsinane-house , were employed in carrying away stones from the excavation made among the ruins that point out the site of Macbeth 's castle here, part of the ground they stood on suddenly gave way, and sank down about six feet, discovering a regularly built vault, about six feet long and four wide. None of

4042-468: The enthronement (and the homage which follows it), the monarch is seated not in the Coronation Chair, but in a separate Throne on a dais positioned in the middle of the crossing . On occasions when the wife of a king—a queen consort —is crowned, a similar throne is provided for her so that she can be seated next to the king but at a lower level. Unlike the Coronation Chair, these other chairs and thrones have tended to be made new for each coronation. For

4128-512: The first coalition government since World War II. The third occurred shortly thereafter, in June 2017 , when the Conservative Party lost its majority in a snap election, though the party remained in power as a minority government . The sovereign has the power to summon, prorogue and dissolve Parliament. Each parliamentary session begins with the sovereign's summons. The new parliamentary session

4214-489: The greater part of the Stone in a Kent field, where they camped for a few days, they uncovered the buried stone and returned to Scotland, along with a new accomplice, John Josselyn. According to an American diplomat who was posted in Edinburgh at the time, the stone was briefly hidden in a trunk in the basement of the consulate's Public Affairs Officer, without his knowledge, then brought up further north. The smaller piece

4300-449: The men being injured, curiosity induced them to clear out the subterranean recess, when they discovered among the ruins a large stone, weighing about 500 lb [230 kg], which is pronounced to be of the meteoric or semi-metallic kind. This stone must have lain here during the long series of ages since Macbeth's reign. Beside it were also found two round tablets, of a composition resembling bronze. On one of these two lines are engraved, which

4386-924: The monarch has a different, specific, and official national title and style for each realm. Although the term is rarely used today, the fifteen Commonwealth realms are, with respect to their monarch, in personal union . The monarch is also head of state of the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories . King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee In

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4472-421: The monarch to dismiss them; such ministers are euphemistically described as "leaving the government". In a hung parliament where no party or coalition holds a majority, the monarch has an increased degree of latitude in choosing the individual likely to command the most support, though it would usually be the leader of the largest party. Since 1945, there have only been three hung parliaments. The first followed

4558-415: The monarch upon losing their majority in the House of Commons. While the sovereign also appoints and may dismiss every other Minister of the Crown , by convention they do so only on the recommendation of the prime minister. It is therefore the prime minister who controls the composition of the government. In practice, the prime minister will request a member of the government resign in preference to advising

4644-607: The monarch's role, including that of Head of the Armed Forces , is limited to functions such as bestowing honours and appointing the prime minister , which are performed in a non-partisan manner. The UK Government has called the monarchy "a unique soft power and diplomatic asset". The Crown also occupies a unique cultural role, serving as an unofficial brand ambassador for British interests and values abroad, increasing tourism at home, and promoting charities throughout civil society . The British monarchy traces its origins from

4730-472: The nave—only when it is carried into the theatre of coronation near the High Altar of the abbey. Between 2010 and 2012, the chair was cleaned and restored by a team of experts in full view of the public at the abbey. In early 2023, a further programme of restoration and conservation was undertaken in preparation for the coronation of Charles III and Camilla ; on 6 May 2023, the stone having been reunited with

4816-649: The personal gift of the sovereign and are not granted on ministerial advice. The sovereign alone appoints members of the Order of the Garter , the Order of the Thistle , the Royal Victorian Order and the Order of Merit . The sovereign is personally immune from criminal prosecution or arrest, as well as from civil actions, and their property is not subject to execution or foreclosure . The Crown , however, as distinct from

4902-512: The powers to appoint and dismiss ministers, regulate the civil service, issue passports, declare war, make peace, direct the actions of the military, and negotiate and ratify treaties, alliances, and international agreements. However, a treaty cannot alter the domestic laws of the United Kingdom; an Act of Parliament is necessary in such cases. The sovereign is the Head of the Armed Forces (the Royal Navy ,

4988-479: The present borders of England, though its constituent parts retained strong regional identities. The 11th century saw England become more stable, despite a number of wars with the Danes, which resulted in a Danish monarchy for one generation. The conquest of England in 1066 by William, Duke of Normandy , was crucial in terms of both political and social change. The new monarch continued the centralisation of power begun in

5074-417: The prime minister, but in practice, the prime minister's term nowadays comes to an end only by electoral defeat, death, or resignation. Before a bill passed by the legislative Houses can become law, royal assent (the monarch's approval) is required. In theory, assent can either be granted (making the bill law) or withheld (vetoing the bill), but since 1708 assent has always been granted. The sovereign has

5160-477: The recess. As it also provided the best protected location, the cathedral's 13th-century bog-oak effigy of Robert Curthose was placed on the chair. Sandbags were then used to seal off the recess. The chair remained there for the duration of the war. Meanwhile the chair used for the coronation of Mary II was relocated from Westminster Abbey to Winchester Cathedral for safekeeping. On Christmas Day 1950, Scottish nationalists broke into Westminster Abbey and stole

5246-460: The same etymology as English Fate ). used at Tara for inaugurating the High Kings of Ireland . Other traditions contend that the Lia Fáil remains at Tara. ( Inis Fáil , "The Island of Destiny", is one of the traditional names of Ireland.) Other legends place the origins of the Stone in Biblical times and identify it as the Stone of Jacob , taken by Jacob from Bethel while on the way to Haran ( Genesis 28:10–22). This same Stone of Jacob

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5332-436: The son of John MacCormick , who had been involved in the removal of the stone from Westminster Abbey. Sir John Elvidge , who was Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet at the time, told Salmond that he could keep the fragment. Salmond then passed it to the SNP for safekeeping. Historic Environment Scotland subsequently carried out tests on the fragment, which established it was genuine "beyond reasonable doubt". In May 2024, it

5418-427: The sovereign's authority to dissolve Parliament, however, this power was restored by the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 . The sovereign's power of prorogation was unaffected, which is a regular feature of the parliamentary calendar . In 1950 the King's Private Secretary Sir Alan "Tommy" Lascelles , writing pseudonymously to The Times newspaper, asserted a constitutional convention: according to

5504-430: The sovereign's behalf, and courts derive their authority from the Crown. The common law holds that the sovereign "can do no wrong", and so cannot be prosecuted for criminal offences. The Crown Proceedings Act 1947 allows civil lawsuits against the Crown in its public capacity (that is, lawsuits against the government), but not lawsuits against the monarch personally. The sovereign exercises the "prerogative of mercy", which

5590-413: The sovereign's property without permission. Following Viking raids and settlement in the ninth century, the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex emerged as the dominant English kingdom. Alfred the Great secured Wessex, achieved dominance over western Mercia , and assumed the title "King of the Anglo-Saxons". His grandson Æthelstan was the first king to rule over a unitary kingdom roughly corresponding to

5676-407: The sovereign, can be the subject of proceedings for tort and contract since 1947 . There are more than 160 laws granting express immunity to the sovereign or their property in various respects. For example, the sovereign is exempt from anti-discrimination legislation and other workers' rights, health and safety, or pensions laws, as well as numerous taxes, and environmental inspectors cannot enter

5762-400: The stone captured by Edward I. The Westminster Stone theory posits that the monks at Scone Palace hid the real stone in the River Tay , or buried it on Dunsinane Hill , and that the English troops were tricked into taking a substitute. Some proponents of this theory claim that historic descriptions of the stone do not match the present stone. In the 1328 Treaty of Northampton between

5848-460: The stone into the safekeeping of the Commissioners for the Regalia . It currently resides in Perth. As part of a consultation in 2019, the Scottish Government asked the public for their views on the preferred location for public display of the Stone of Scone. Two options were proposed: featuring it as the centrepiece of a proposed new Perth Museum (a £23 million redevelopment of the former Perth City Hall ) or remaining at Edinburgh Castle in

5934-408: The stone was returned to Scotland, and kept in Edinburgh Castle with the Honours of Scotland . The stone remains property of the Crown and is transported to London for use at coronations. Since March 2024, it has been on permanent public display in Perth . In the 14th century the English cleric and historian Walter Hemingford identified the previous location of the Scottish coronation stone as

6020-411: The three pled guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to charges of malicious damage in connection with the incident. In January 2024, a fragment of the stone, previously thought to have been lost, was found in a cupboard at the headquarters of the Scottish National Party . According to Scottish cabinet papers released on 1 January, the fragment was given to the then first minister Alex Salmond in 2008 by

6106-438: The throne on the death of Queen Elizabeth II , his mother. The monarch and their immediate family undertake various official, ceremonial, diplomatic and representational duties. Although formally the monarch has authority over the government —which is known as " His/Her Majesty's Government "—this power may only be used according to laws enacted in Parliament and within constraints of convention and precedent . In practice

6192-439: The throne. In 1707, the kingdoms of England and Scotland were merged to create the Kingdom of Great Britain , and in 1801, the Kingdom of Ireland joined to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Beginning in the 16th century, the monarch was the nominal head of what came to be the vast British Empire , which covered a quarter of the world's land area at its greatest extent in 1921. The title Emperor of India

6278-399: The times), where it has been found by the workmen. This curious stone has been shipped for London for the inspection of the scientific amateur, in order to discover its real quality. Dunsinane Hill has the remains of a late prehistoric hill fort , and this has historical associations with Macbeth, but no remains dating to the 11th century have been identified on the hill. In 1296, during

6364-665: The tradition of monarchy was broken by the republican Commonwealth of England , which followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms . Following the installation of William III and Mary II as co-monarchs in the Glorious Revolution , the Bill of Rights 1689 , and its Scottish counterpart the Claim of Right Act 1689 , further curtailed the power of the monarchy and excluded Catholics from succession to

6450-490: The uncodified Constitution of the United Kingdom , the monarch (exclusively referred to in legislation as "the Sovereign ", and styled His or Her Majesty ) is the head of state . The monarch's image is used to signify British sovereignty and government authority – their profile, for instance, appears on Bank of England notes and all British coins and their portrait in government buildings. The Sovereign

6536-422: The words "Is Treasa Tuath Na Tighearna" (Scottish Gaelic for "The People Are Mightier Than A Lord") on the glass, alongside the group's logo. Edinburgh Castle was closed to the public for the rest of the day. The activists were arrested following the action, which they claimed was intended to pressure supermarkets to reduce food prices and the Scottish Government to fund a community food hub. In November 2024, two of

6622-572: The year after the removal of the stone, the chair was removed from its traditional home in the Chapel of St Edward the Confessor and placed by the tomb of King Henry V. In 2010 the chair was moved to a chapel at the back of the Nave for cleaning, where it has since remained (when not in use). The Coronation Chair is now highly protected, and leaves its secure location—behind glass on a plinth in St George's Chapel in

6708-557: Was added to the British monarch's titles between 1876 and 1948. The Balfour Declaration of 1926 recognised the evolution of the Dominions of the Empire into separate, self-governing countries within a Commonwealth of Nations . Also in this period, the monarchy in Ireland eventually became limited to Northern Ireland . In the years after World War II , the vast majority of British colonies and territories became independent, effectively bringing

6794-419: Was carved from oak at some point between the summer of 1297 and March 1300 by the carpenter Walter of Durham . At first, the king ordered the chair to be made of bronze, but he changed his mind and decided it should be made of timber. It was originally covered in gilding and coloured glass, much of which has now been lost. The chair is the oldest dated piece of English furniture made by a known artist. Although it

6880-456: Was discovered before it could explode in St Paul's Cathedral . The possibility that the Coronation Chair could be damaged or destroyed by German air raids during the Second World War resulted in it being moved to Gloucester Cathedral for the duration of the war. Concerns about the propaganda implications of the Stone falling into German hands led to it being hidden behind ancient lead coffins in

6966-656: Was kept in his shrine at Westminster Abbey . The Coronation Chair was last used at the Coronation of King Charles the III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey in 2023. King Edward I of England seized the Stone of Scone, the traditional coronation seat of the Scottish kings, from Scone Abbey in Perthshire in 1296. Edward brought the Stone to England and commissioned the Coronation Chair to hold it. The high-backed, Gothic -style armchair

7052-465: Was moved out of the way and the chair was loaded on a truck and, with two detectives accompanying the driver, it was driven to Gloucester Cathedral where the Dean and the Cathedral Architect signed for its receipt. The next day, five carpenters arrived to shore up the roof of a vaulted recess in the cathedral's crypt with timber supports. Once they had finished their work, the chair was moved into

7138-461: Was not originally intended to be a coronation chair, it began to be associated with coronations of English monarchs at some point in the 14th century, and the first coronation where it was definitely used was that of Henry IV in 1399. Monarchs used to sit on the Stone of Scone itself until a wooden platform was added to the chair in the 17th century. When William III and Mary II became joint monarchs in 1689, they required two coronation chairs for

7224-610: Was recorded in a 15th-century chronicle. Some versions identify the stone brought by Fergus with the Lia Fáil , in Scottish Gaelic (or Erse ) originally rendered "Lia Fàil" and, after Twentieth Century alphabet revisions that saw the Grave accent replaced with the Acute accent , "Lia Fáil" ( Scottish Gaelic for "stone of destiny", from "Lia", meaning "stone", and "fàil", meaning "fatal", and of

7310-457: Was similarly brought north at a later time. The entire stone was passed to Glasgow politician Robert Gray , who arranged for a Glasgow stonemason to repair it. The British Government ordered a major search for the stone, but were unsuccessful. The stone was left by those that had been hiding it on the altar of Arbroath Abbey on 11 April 1951, a property owned by the Church of Scotland . Once

7396-496: Was then supposedly taken to ancient Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah . Contradicting these legends, geologists have proved that the stone taken by Edward I of England to Westminster is a "lower Old Red Sandstone ", which was quarried in the vicinity of Scone. Doubts over the authenticity of the stone at Westminster exist: a blog post by retired Scottish academic and writer of historical fiction Marie MacPherson shows that they date back at least two hundred years. A letter to

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