Palace & Crown Square

Facing what is now Crown Square in the uppermost part of the castle is the Royal Palace. Built in the 15th century, the palace contains the the Royal Apartments as well as the small room where Mary, Queen of Scots, gave birth to James VI. The building now is the home of the Honours of Scotland, also known as the crown jewels. The second oldest set of crown jewels in Europe, the Honours of Scotland consist of the crown, sceptre, and sword of state. Last used in the coronation of Charles II in 1651, the Honours were locked away following the 1707 Act of Union which combined the parliaments of England and Scotland. Recovered in 1819, after a search led by Sir Walter Scott, the Honours have been on display ever since. In addition to the Honours, the palace houses the Stone of Destiny (Stone of Scone). It was on this stone that the kings of Scotland were crowned from Kenneth MacAlpin (the first King of Scots) through John Balliol (1292). In 1296, the Stone was seized by English King Edward I as a war prize and to undermine the legitimacy of future Scottish kings. For the next 700 years it was kept at Westminster Abbey as part of the Coronation Chair. In 1996, it was finally returned to Scotland.