It is a potent symbol of Scottish monarchy and nationhood with debated links to the real-life king Macbeth, who inspired William Shakespeare. It also has an undeniable association with the current British monarch, King Charles, who like his mother Elizabeth was crowned while sitting above it.
Now the ancient Stone of Destiny, a sacred 150kg lump of sandstone, which is venerated by Scottish nationalists and UK unionists alike as the seat upon which monarchs are crowned, is at the centre of a historical puzzle that academics aim to solve.
Researchers are believed to have found a previously unknown slew of chunks that were secretly hewn from the ancient rock and stashed for years all…