What is the Stone of Destiny and why it is used in the coronation of King Charles III

The Coronation of King Charles III will be a ceremony draped in tradition.

Among the historic items used will be the Stone of Destiny. The stone, also known as the Stone of Scone, was transported from its usual home in Edinburgh Castle to London at thge end of last month.

The stone, which weighs 125kg, will be placed in the Coronation Chair for the enthronement, before being returned to Scotland following the coronation.

The stone has been used for centuries in the coronations of monarchs and the inauguration of Scottish kings.

READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community

The last Scottish King to be inaugurated using a Stone at Scone was John Balliol in 1292 and since then it has been used by English monarchs, and then British ones when James VI of Scotland ascended to the English throne upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 1603.

It is unknown when the stone was first used - or how it became associated with king-making - but legends around its origin strongly link it with kingship and the emergence of Scotland as a nation.

The stone was officially returned to Scotland in November 1996 and put on display at Edinburgh Castle.

In a service marking the stone's arrival in London ahead of the coronation Joseph Morrow, the Lord Lyon of Scotland, said that the stone had returned to Westminster Abbey for the coronation as an act of “unity” and “a symbol of friendship”.

He said: "This is the Stone of Destiny, often called the Stone of Scone, an ancient symbol of sovereignty that has been brought to sanctify the inauguration of monarchs from time immemorial and in our recorded history from as early as the accession of Malcolm III of Scotland in 1058.

"The Stone was taken from its place in the Abbey