The Royal Mile

As for the Stone of Destiny, no one really knows it's just a simple block of sandstone, prompting some to claim that it's not the real thing, used to solemnize the inauguration of Scots kings at Scone since the 9th century and recorded as being richly carved; some believe it was Jacob's pillow when he dreamed about his ladder; and some subscribe to the theory that the original is being kept in hiding, passed down from generation to generation, until Scotland is a nation once again. Whatever, this one was stolen by Edward I of England in 1296, and was kept under the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey. It was stolen from there by a group of Scottish Nationalists in 1950, carted off in a battered van to Arbroath, and slightly damaged in the process. The British authorities took a dim view of these high jinks, and after retrieving the stone they hung on to it down in London until they saw fit to return it. When they did, in 1996, it came across as an unsuccessful publicity stunt by the embattled and unpopular Conservative government of the time. It's hard to say whether the stone will ever be used again.

The Palace and Great Hall

Also in Crown Square is the Palace with Queen Mary's Apartments, which have recently been faithfully restored internally to look as they would have done on James VI and l's last visit in 1617. Here you can see the tiny room where Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to Union Jack, James VI of Scotland and I of England. One of the old soldiers who act as guides will open the little window to reveal the vertical drop down which the baby was lowered to be baptised. He's likely to be more reticent about the mystery surrounding the baby's identity. King James himself was always unsure of his legitimacy, partly because he looked nothing like any of the other Stuarts. Further doubt arose in 1830 after a bad fire, when a small coffin was found in the wall of these apartments (although the bones were never formally identified as human). The coffin and its contents were put back in the wall. The smart money is on James being Lord Darnley's son by Mary (he was even meant to look a bit like him); another theory stems from the fact that King James VI looked rather like the son of the Countess of Mar, Mary's babysitter.

The Great Hall was the home of the Scottish Parliament until shortly after James's son Charles I ascended to the throne. Its splendid beamed ceiling was only uncovered again late last century. The room now houses a formidable armoury of Scottish weapons.

Other Castle Sights

Elsewhere around the castle you can wander along the battlements and explore the different stages of the fortification's development; marvel at the size of the mighty Mons Meg, the famous cannon so big that someone gave birth in its barrel; visit the vaults where French prisoners of war were held when they were put to laying the cobbles outside and where people like the privateer John Paul Jones were dealt with (before he founded the US navy), along with David Kirkwood, the 'Red Clydesider'; look around a perfectly preserved Victorian Military Prison, which was later used to lock up political prisoners like the Marxist John Maclean; and peer down into the well-tended Pet Cemetery where the faithful companions of the castle's commanding officers are provided with a glorious resting place way above their station.