The Stone of Destiny is a powerful symbol of the British monarchy.
Also known as Stone of Scone, the centuries-old object has been placed under the coronation chair for the crowning of British monarchs since the 13th century, including King Charles III in May 2023.
Ahead of the king’s coronation, subtle markings on the stone revealed previously unknown Roman numerals – XXXV, or 35.
Now, an expert has revealed the meaning of this mysterious inscription, which she thinks was made as recently as the early 1950s.
Professor Sally Foster, an archaeologist at Stirling University, thinks the Stone of Destiny is actually one of 35 pieces of the original sandstone block.
The other smaller 34 pieces were separated from the ancient artefact after its famous theft from Westminster Abbey in 1950.
‘The penny dropped – 34 fragments plus one stone equals 35,’ Professor Foster told the PA news agency.
‘Of course I can’t prove this, but what else might it be?’
The Stone of Destiny, pictured here on display at the new Perth Museum, was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs until the 13th century, and thereafter in the coronation of English and later British monarchs
Laser scans in 2023 revealed the subtle marking ‘XXXV’ which is the number 35 in Roman numerals, according to Professor Sally Foster, archaeologist at the Stirling University
Also known as Stone of Scone, the centuries-old object has been placed under the coronation chair for the crowning of British monarchs since the 13th century, including King Charles III in May 2023
Professor Foster thinks the marking was made by Robert ‘Bertie’ Gray, a Scottish nationalist and stonemason who oversaw the repair of the Stone of Destiny in 1951.
During a raid on Westminster Abbey in 1950, when four students spirited the stone back to Scotland, it split in two and Gray later oversaw the work to repair it.
It’s believed more than 30 fragments were created during the restoration work, although Gray never revealed exactly how many before his death in 1975.
However, the Roman numerals suggest the figure is 35 in total – 34 fragments and the main 335 lb (152kg) slab, which is now on display in Perth following its use in the coronation in 2023.
Professor Foster added: ‘He [Bertie Gray] is writing on it “this is the 35th”.
‘It fits in with his sense of humour and with him putting his own mark on the stone.’
A search is already under way to trace up to 30 missing fragments of the Stone of Destiny, although one fragment is known to have been gifted to former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and kept at the SNP’s headquarters.
Professor Foster has already received word of several fragments which remain in private ownership, including one which ended up in Orkney.
Also known as Stone of Scone, the revered object has long been an ancient symbol of the Scottish and British monarchy, used since the 1300s for the inauguration of kings and queens. Pictured, inside Westminster Abbey during a welcome ceremony, April 29, 2023
Pictured, a service to mark the arrival of the Stone of Destiny to Westminster Abbey in London in April 2023
A search is already under way to trace up to 30 missing fragments of the Stone of Destiny, although one fragment (pictured) is known to have been gifted to former First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and kept at the SNP’s headquarters
In 2023, scientists at Historic Environment Scotland, which cares for Stone of Destiny, performed laser scans of the revered object
The Stone of Destiny has featured in the coronation of every English sovereign – with the exception of Mary I and Mary II – since 1307.
On Christmas Day in 1950, it was stolen by four young Scottish robbers who snuck into Westminster Abbey by a side door.
But, being unprepared for its heftiness – it weighed 24 stone – the activists dropped it and it broke in two when it hit the floor before escaping with both pieces in a car.
On discovering that the Stone was missing, authorities closed the border between Scotland and England for the first time in 400 years.
The robbers hired Gray to mend the stone, who inserted a brass rod, containing a piece of paper, during his repair (although what was written on the paper remains unknown).
The stone was finally found safe on the altar at Arbroath Abbey, draped in a Saltire, in April 1951 before being returned to Westminster the following year.
In 1996, it was finally returned to Scotland in recognition of 700 years since it was taken by English king Edward I.
While the stone’s origins are unclear, some place them in Biblical times and identify it as the Stone of Jacob, taken by Jacob from Bethel while on the way to Haran in the Middle East, as told in the Book of Genesis.
The Stone Of Destiny returned to Edinburgh back in 1996 (pictured) in recognition of 700 years since it was taken by English king Edward I
The Stone of Destiny – an oblong block of sandstone – was under the Coronation chair where King Charles sat when officially crowed on May 6, 2023
The Coronation Chair, containing the Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, in Westminster Abbey, London. The ancient symbol of Scotland’s monarchy, a large rectangular block of sandstone weighing more than 150kg, was seized by Edward I of England in 1296
But in 2023, prior to the coronation of King Charles III, an academic poured cold water on this theory.
Professor Ian Bradley, a historian at the University of St Andrews said it’s ‘highly doubtful’ the one used in the Coronation is the ‘original’ from the Holy Land.
He said the object is made of a type of sandstone that is ‘unknown’ in the Middle East but ‘relatively common’ around Scone in Perthshire.
Scone is the location where English king Edward I looted the stone (from Scone Abbey) in 1296 and brought it to London – and some think Edward was fobbed off with a fake.
The Stone of Destiny is now on public display at Perth Museum, having been transported last year from Edinburgh, where it was targeted by vandals.
Historic Environment Scotland, which cares for the stone and performed the 2023 laser scans, didn’t comment on or acknowledge Professor Foster’s new conclusion about the numerals.
‘We don’t know for certain when these markings were made on the Stone, or what they signify,’ a Historic Environment Scotland spokesperson told MailOnline.
‘While they have the appearance of Roman numerals, this does not necessarily mean they date to Roman times.
‘The appearance of the markings and the fact they have not been recorded previously suggest they may have been carved more recently. We hope this will be an area for further research.’
Professor Foster said her research is being submitted to an international peer-reviewed journal, awaiting peer review and acceptance.
Stone of Destiny: How the artefact was seized by the ‘Hammer of the Scots’ before being returned to Scotland
The Stone of Destiny – also known as the Stone of Scone – was used in the inauguration of Scottish kings until 1296, when King Edward I seized it and had it built into a new throne at Westminster Abbey in London.
Though the legends are contested, some say it was originally the coronation stone of Kenneth MacAlpin, the 36th King of Dalriada.
Others claim it was Fergus Mor, son of Erc, who brought the artefact from Ireland to Argyll, where he was crowned on it.
Regardless of its origins, it is believed the Stone of Destiny was placed on Moot Hill and used in the coronations until it was seized by the ‘Hammer of the Scots’ in the 13th century.
The red sandstone block was used during the coronations of English and later British kings and queens for centuries.
Pictured here on view to the Press at Edinburgh Castle in the Crown Room, where it was on display since its return in 1996. It was moved to Perth in March 2024
But on Christmas Day in 1950, four Scottish students removed the Stone of Destiny from its place and smuggled it back to Scotland.
It later turned up more than 500 miles away at the high altar of Arbroath Abbey.
The stone was officially returned to Scotland in 1996, and it has since been on display at the Crown Room in Edinburgh Castle.
That November, it was driven from London to Scotland using both police and Army vehicles before being paraded in front of a 10,000-strong crowd up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle.
In spring 2023, it was transported in secrecy from Scotland to Westminster in time for the May 6 coronation.
The Daily Mail’s original coverage of the theft of the stone reported how the border between Scotland and England was closed for the first time in 400 years
Exact timings of the carefully planned military operation to move it have been kept secret to prevent any risk of hijacking.
King Charles is reported to have said he would have been perfectly happy with the Stone of Destiny staying in Scotland, but Downing Street insisted it travel south to Westminster Abbey.
It is now in Perth – near Scone, where geological testing has revealed it was quarried.
