Destination Destiny!

So congratulations to King Charles III and Queen Camilla, yesterday they set out to reach their destination destiny! Ok, as a Scot I'm not really the greatest royalist but I have to say royal weddings, funerals and coronations and yes all of that pomp and circumstance  certainly tug at my ex-pat's heartstrings, so I was glued to the screen yesterday. How often do you get to see a ceremony that is about 1000 years old, it’s my first and maybe my last! Funny how the Germans all go on about the cost and how they are glad not to have a monarchy but at least three TV channels were showing the Coronation live here. As for the twists of Charles and Camilla's romance (don’t forget, they were an item before Diana and both single, the Queen put her foot down and the mess that followed we all are familiar with) let he or she or they who are without sin cast the first stone. My parents met both Charles and Camilla at a couple of Queen's garden parties and found Camilla warm, welcoming, down to earth and very funny! So a happy and glorious reign to you both. 

This isn’t Westminster Abbey but suitably regal looking, it’s St Mary’s Cathedral Edinburgh! I was born in Edinburgh and was christened at St Mary's Cathedral, unfortunately as I sketched this I had completely forgotten that my city of birth has two St Mary’s Cathedrals one Catholic and one Episcopal, you guessed it, this is the Episcopal cathedral and I was christened at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral. What does all of this have to do with the Coronation well ……! 

My Coronation Goodies!

The Coronation Chair or King/Saint Edwards Chair sits on top of the so-called Stone of Scone or Stone of Destiny, this ancient stone was first used at the coronation of Scottish kings and then taken to England by Edward I in 1296 among his spoils of war. The stone is rumoured to have magical properties and has been used in coronations since then, many legends have grown up around it and it was also the target of a suffragette attack and a theft in 1950. A good family friend, who was an expert furniture restorer and French polisher, was friends with one of the 4 Scottish students who stole the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1950, would be nice to know if he had some of the juicy story involving diplomats, lots of hiding places and transportation. The Stone turned up months later in Arbroath Abbey, unfortunately it was broken (this may have happened in the bomb attack) since the theft rumours are rife that a copy of the repaired stone was returned to Westminster Abbey and not the repaired original.

In 1996 the stone returned to Edinburgh and is exhibited for the moment in Edinburgh Castle with the Honours of Scotland, however  the Stone of Destiny was transported down to London for King Charles III's coronation and in 2024 should be rehoused in Perth. 

So as Charles sat in that ancient chair and was crowned he was virtually sitting on a piece of Scottish history and regardless of your standing towards the monarchy you can’t fail to be moved by the history behind these ancient rituals and traditions, nobody does pomp and circumstance better than the Brits! Millions do not turn out to see presidents and politicians and I certainly don’t raise a glass to them! Cheers have a great coronation weekend.