Lawyer who removed Stone of Destiny dies aged 97

The last surviving member of a group of Scottish nationalists who removed the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey and returned it to Scotland has died.

Ian Hamilton KC was one of four students who broke into the Abbey on Christmas Day in 1950.

The stone had played a key role in the coronation of Scottish kings before being taken to London by King Edward I of England in 1296.

Mr Hamilton became a lawyer, and continued to campaign for independence.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described Mr Hamilton - who was 97 - as a "legend of the independence movement" and "one of the many giants on whose shoulders the modern SNP stands".

She added: "During my time as the SNP leader I have received occasional words of wisdom, encouragement and support from him, which I will always treasure."

The other three students involved in the plot to remove the stone - which is also known as as the Stone of Scone - were Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson and Alan Stuart, who died in 2004, 2013 and 2019 respectively.

They had all travelled to London on 23 December with the aim of removing the stone from underneath the coronation throne, where it had lain for 650 years since being taken from Scotland during the Wars of Independence.

After breaking into the abbey through a side door, they prized out the stone from a cavity underneath the throne, causing it to fall to the floor.

The students then dragged the stone outside and vanished into the night.

A nationwide search for the perpetrators was launched, but the stone - which had broken into two during the removal process but was later repaired - was not found until it appeared, draped in a Saltire, at Arbroath Abbey on 11 April 1951.

Mr Hamilton was questioned by the police but was not arrested, with the home secretary telling the Commons at the time that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute those responsible for taking the stone.

The stone was taken back to Westminster Abbey, where it remained until being moved to Edinburgh Castle in 1996.

It now lies alongside the crown jewels of Scotland in the castle's Crown Room, but will be temporarily taken to London to be used in the coronation ceremony for King Charles III.

Roddy Dunlop KC, Dean of the Faculty of Advocates, said Mr Hamilton had been its oldest living member.

He added: "Ian was a formidable advocate, a great friend to many, and a lovely man. It is thus with deep sorrow that we bid him farewell."