Crown Room Project
From 12 January to April 2026 we are completing an exciting project to redisplay the Honours of Scotland. During this time the Crown Room is closed for refurbishment and The Honours of Scotland are not on display.
What are we doing?
The Honours will be re-presented in their historic home within a new purpose-built display case to ensure they are held securely and in the best possible environment for many years to come.
Our skilled craftspeople are restoring the Victorian wall panelling, originally fabricated in 1848, and new lighting and atmospheric controls are being installed.
What’s on at the castle while the Honours are off display?
During the works, visitors can step inside a digital display in the Great Hall that shows the Honours up-close through detailed photography and state-of-the-art digital imagery - a chance to see the objects at large scale and discover their intricate features. Our skilled castle guides will be helping visitors get hands on with history by exploring replica artefacts. Meanwhile, costumed performers will bring the castle’s history to life in the Royal Apartments. On weekends and during the February half-term holidays, fun family-friendly craft activities will be running in the Palace Vaults.
What are the Honours of Scotland?
The Honours of Scotland - Crown, Sword and Sceptre - are Britain’s oldest crown jewels, and among the oldest in Europe.
For centuries, they were used for the inauguration and coronation of Scottish kings and queens. They represented the monarch whenever they were absent from meetings of the Scottish Parliament.
The Crown, Sword and Sceptre were first used together at the coronation of Mary Queen of Scots, in 1543. Their important ceremonial role continues centuries later. More recently, the Crown and Sceptre were presented to King Charles III at the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh in July 2023. The Crown is present at the opening of every session of the Scottish Parliament.
Recently, the Honours have undergone significant conservation work, ensuring they are looked after for years to come. We are now renovating the Crown Room, where they are displayed, to provide the best possible environment for these historic objects.
What is the Crown Room?
The Crown Room is a purpose-built secure vault. Ordered by James VI and I, it was completed in 1617 for his Hamecoming visit to Scotland. Designed specially to hold these priceless items, barrel-vaulting and thickened walls provided added security and fireproofing.
With only a few notable exceptions, the room has securely housed the Honours ever since, including 1707-1818 when the Honours were locked away after the Act of Union between Scotland and England. They were rediscovered when Sir Walter Scott, the author, led a delegation to locate them over 100 years later. The Honours first went on public display just over a year later. The Crown Room has been refurbished, and the display updated several times since.
This is just the latest chapter in the evolving story of Scotland’s national treasures.
When will the Crown Room reopen?
We look forward to welcoming visitors back into the Crown Room in April 2026 to see the Honours back on display in their historic home. Keep an eye on our website for more information.
About the Honours of Scotland
The Honours of Scotland, comprising the Crown of Scotland, the Sceptre, and the Sword of State, are the oldest Crown jewels in Britain.
Their centrepiece is the Crown of Scotland, crafted of gold and silver and laden with 94 pearls and 43 gemstones including diamonds, garnets and amethysts. James V had the Crown made in 1540, likely in part from the earlier Scottish Crown which had been damaged and first wore it at the coronation of Mary of Guise that same year.
The silver-gilt Sceptre is thought to be late medieval. This fine ceremonial staff is finely engraved with decorations including thistles, grotesques, fleurs-de-lis and oak leaves. Stylised dolphins and figures depicting St Andrew, St James and the Virgin Mary are surrounded by stylised dolphins. A large globe of polished rock crystal sits atop this. On top of the crystal globe is a gold orb, capped with a single large pearl.
The Sword of State was gifted to James IV by Pope Julius II in 1507 and represents an exceptionally high quality of decoration. The arms of Pope Julius were used as the theme for the Sword handle design, with oak trees and acorns symbolising the risen Christ and dolphins signifying Christ’s Church. The blade of the Sword is in a very fragile condition and was retired from use some years ago with consent of the monarch.
Woven from silk and gold thread, the Sword Belt is fastened with an enormous silver-gilt buckle. Oak trees, leaves and acorn motifs are repeated along its length. In 1660, when the Honours came back to Edinburgh Castle after years in hiding in Aberdeenshire, the Belt did not return with them. Instead, it was rediscovered by Sir David Ogilvy in 1790, having been built into a garden wall of Barras Castle, near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire.
The Sword’s Scabbard is made of wood, covered in dark red velvet and decorated with silver-gilt designs. It is finely decorated with enamel panels displaying the Papal arms, and adorned with acorns, oak leaves, dolphins and grotesque masks.