‘Missing’ Stone of Destiny fragment found in SNP cupboard
The artefact was given as a present to Alex Salmond and now the party is facing calls to hand it over to Historic Environment Scotland
The Stone of Destiny in Edinburgh Castle before it was taken to Westminster Abbey for the coronation of the King last year
RUSSELL CHEYNE/PA
A “missing” fragment of the Stone of Destiny gifted to Alex Salmond has been found in a cupboard at SNP headquarters.
The artefact, also known as the Stone of Scone, was taken in 1296 by Edward I as spoils in the wars of independence, having been housed in Scotland for centuries. A group of four nationalist students stole the 152kg stone from Westminster Abbey in 1950, but it was found and returned in 1951.
Newly released Scottish cabinet minutes from 2008 reveal that Salmond, the first minister at the time, received a fragment of the stone as a personal gift from the son of an SNP figure who helped fund the students’ heist.
The then SNP leader Alex Salmond, centre, in Dumfries with the Stone of Destiny when it was returned to Scotland in 1996
CHRIS BACON/PA
However, Salmond said he no longer had the fragment, suggesting it had
