Scone << skoon or skohn >>, Stone of, is a stone on which the British monarchs are crowned. It lies in Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. It is also called the Stone of Destiny. Until 1996, the stone was kept in Westminster Abbey in London. England’s King Edward I brought the stone to England from Scotland in 1296. For centuries before that, the kings of Scotland had been crowned on the stone. Scottish nationalists repossessed the stone in 1950, but it was returned to Westminster Abbey. In 1996, Queen Elizabeth II authorized return of the stone to Scotland. The stone is returned to London temporarily when a British monarch is crowned.
