The inside story of the Stone of Destiny heist

Declassified files reveal how the thieves were undone by police informants based north of the border

The Stone took its place at Westminster Abbey for the coronation
The Stone took its place at Westminster Abbey for the coronation
REUTERS
Marc Horne
The Sunday Times

Their audacious actions led to the border between Scotland and England being closed for the first time in centuries and reportedly left King George VI “deeply distressed”.

The students who stole the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day in 1950 became Britain’s most wanted criminals overnight — and were lauded as heroes by supporters of Scottish self-rule.

However, government files, which have been kept under wraps for almost 75 years, suggest that Ian Hamilton, Kay Matheson, Gavin Vernon and Alan Stuart were identified after being betrayed by moles placed within the nationalist movement by the British state.

The culprits, from left, Gavin Vernon, Ian Hamilton and Alan Stuart spoke to reporters after they were told there would be no prosecution for the theft
The culprits, from left, Gavin Vernon, Ian Hamilton and Alan Stuart spoke to reporters after they were told there would be no prosecution for the theft
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Roadblocks placed across the Cheviots failed to catch the culprits who had repatriated the stone on which Scottish monarchs had been crowned for centuries and