The Stone of Destiny has returned to its historical home of Perthshire ahead of the opening of the new museum.
A special farewell ceremony was held at Edinburgh Castle on Thursday to mark the departure of the stone – also known as the Stone of Scone.
First Minister Humza Yousaf attended the ceremony as part of his role in the Safeguarding of the Regalia.
The sandstone slab is set to be the centrepiece of the new Perth Museum, due to open on March 30.
It has played a role in royal coronations on both sides of the border for hundreds of years.
However, locals expressed their disappointment at the lack of publicity surrounding the arrival of the stone in Perth.
Stone of Destiny arrives in Perth in back of white van
The slab was transported and delivered to the museum in the back of a white van.
On the Perthshire Local Facebook page, one local called the arrival “embarrassing”.
They said: “What an embarrassing entry. A totally lost opportunity to garner support and highlight the new museum.
“This should have as a minimum been webcast the journey and followed a specific route and done at a weekend in a vehicle where you could visibly securely/safely see the stone.”
Another person said: “You would have thought that such an iconic piece of history would have been delivered to its new home with some sort of ceremony.”
Iain Fenwick, director of Perthshire Local and local entrepreneur, told The Courier he has been assured the lack of advertising has been a “deliberate tactic”.
“Personally, I think the arrival kind of mirrors everything else surrounding it”, he said.
“No signs, no billboards, no flags, no bollards and not one single mention of the Stone of Destiny on the Perth Museum Facebook page yet in 2024.
“You would have thought having spent £26.73m, there would have been more pomp and ceremony.”
He added: “However, I have been assured that this is a deliberate tactic, and those with the experience at CPK (Culture Perth and Kinross) and PKC (Perth and Kinross Council) know what they are doing.
“Leaving everything to the last second, apparently, gathers the biggest crowds for free to attend events.
“I’m looking forward to finding out what all of these events are. All top secret right now, with two weeks to go.”
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said: “Arrangements remain on track for display of the Stone of Destiny in the new Perth Museum which opens to the public on 30 March.”
Tickets available for Stone of Destiny experience
A packed opening weekend has been planned for the museum, with music, poetry and walking tours arranged.
Entrance to the 10-minute immersive Stone of Destiny experience will require a free ticket.
Perth Museum announced on Friday that free tickets to view the stone on the opening weekend will be released online at 10am on March 22 via the Perthshire Box Office.
The first timeslot available to book will be at 12.30pm on March 30.
From March 25, they will be available to book up to a week in advance of a visit.
A limited number of tickets are also available to book in person at the museum on the day of the visit.
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