Yes, you can see the Edinburgh Castle crown jewels this winter. After a refurbishment in early 2026, the Honours of Scotland are back in a freshly refurbished Crown Room. They are Britain's oldest crown jewels, and seeing them is included in your castle ticket. One thing has changed, though: the Stone of Destiny is no longer here.
Edinburgh Castle crown jewels: quick answers
- Are the crown jewels on display now? Yes. The Crown Room closed on 12 January 2026 for refurbishment. On 27 May 2026, Kathy Richmond of Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said she was "delighted that the newly refurbished Crown Room is once again open to the public". Check the official site on the morning of your visit, because rooms can close at short notice.
- Is it included in the ticket? Yes. A standard castle ticket covers the Honours of Scotland exhibition and the Crown Room, with no separate charge.
- Can you take photos? Plan on no. HES doesn't publish a clear rule online, but recent visitors report that photography isn't allowed in the Crown Room. Follow the signs and staff on the day.
- Where is the Stone of Destiny? At Perth Museum since 2024, about 1.5 hours from Edinburgh by train. It's free to see.
The Crown Room in 2026: what's new
An HES spokesperson told The Edinburgh Reporter that the Crown Room would close "from Monday 12 January until Easter 2026" so the vault could be refurbished and a new display created for the Honours. HES joiners restored the room's Victorian oak panelling and carved new oak shields, returning the decoration to the simpler form it originally had. Apprentices even painted the vault doors a new colour with metal paint.
The centrepiece is a new bespoke display case. HES's 27 May 2026 release says it keeps the Honours "secure, environmentally stable and presented at their best" and "improves sightlines and accessibility, helping visitors appreciate the Honours in new detail". A visitor who went after the reopening described the room as very dark, lit by small LED spotlights that make the gold and gems almost glow.
When it reopened: on 25 March 2026, HES said the redevelopment was "scheduled to be completed in April 2026". Kathy Richmond, its Head of Collections and Applied Conservation, said she looked forward to welcoming visitors back "later this spring". On 27 May 2026 HES described the Crown Room as having "recently reopened". We couldn't find an official announcement giving the exact day.
The time capsule: as the old panelling came off, joiners found papers hidden behind it. One was a note written on sandpaper and dated 1848. It names the workers from the Edinburgh firm of Charles Trotter Esq who finished the room's oak panelling on 29 May 1848. That note was first found during a refit in 1992, and a second note from the 1993 refit was added at the time. In May 2026, HES joiners built a new container and put copies of both notes inside it, together with a record of the 2026 works, then sealed it back behind the panelling for future craftspeople to find. The fragile originals have been conserved and moved to the HES Archive.
Other Experiences You Might Enjoy
The Honours' story runs down the Royal Mile: to St Giles' Cathedral, where the Crown was presented to Elizabeth II and Charles III, and on to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Add The Real Mary King's Close under the High Street, or a day trip to Stirling Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots was crowned with the same regalia.
What you'll see in the Crown Room
| Object | Date | Origin and key facts |
|---|---|---|
| Crown of Scotland | 1540 (in its present form) | Remade for James V by Edinburgh goldsmith John Mosman, probably reusing parts of an earlier Scottish crown. It is gold and silver and set with 94 pearls and 43 gemstones, including diamonds, garnets and amethysts. James V first wore it at Mary of Guise's coronation in 1540. |
| Sceptre | Late 15th century; remodelled 1536 | Silver-gilt and believed to be a papal gift to James IV in 1494 (the castle itself says its origins are "less certain"). The top features St Andrew, St James and the Virgin Mary, a rock-crystal globe and a single large pearl. |
| Sword of State | 1507 | Given to James IV by Pope Julius II. It is the most fragile of the three: the blade was broken in the 1650s, and it has been retired from ceremonial use with the monarch's consent. |
| Sword belt | Early 16th century | Woven silk and gold thread with a huge silver-gilt buckle. It didn't return with the Honours in 1660 and turned up in 1790 in a garden wall at Barras Castle in Aberdeenshire. |
| Scabbard | Early 16th century | Wood covered in red velvet, with silver-gilt decoration and enamelled papal arms. |
| Silver-gilt wand | Unknown | Found with the Honours in 1818. Nobody knows what it was for. |
| Stewart Jewels | 17th century | A ruby ring, the St Andrew Jewel of the Order of the Thistle, and a Great George and collar of the Order of the Garter. James VII took them into exile, and William IV placed them in the castle in 1830. |
The official castle website pictures the Crown, Sceptre, Sword, Belt and Scabbard together in the new cabinet. Whether every secondary item (the wand, the Stewart Jewels, the Lorne Jewels) is in the 2026 display hasn't been officially confirmed, so ask staff on the day.
History timeline of the Honours of Scotland
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1494 | The Sceptre is believed to arrive as a papal gift to James IV |
| 1507 | Pope Julius II sends James IV the Sword of State |
| 1540 | James V's crown is remade by John Mosman |
| 1543 | Crown, Sceptre and Sword are first used together, at the coronation of the infant Mary Queen of Scots |
| 1617 | The purpose-built, barrel-vaulted Crown Room is completed for James VI's "Hamecoming" visit |
| 1651 | The last Scottish coronation, of Charles II at Scone. The Honours are then hidden at Dunnottar Castle from Cromwell's army |
| 1652–1660 | Smuggled out of besieged Dunnottar (Christian Fletcher, the minister's wife, is credited) and buried under the floor of Kinneff Old Kirk |
| 1707 | After the Union, the Honours are locked in an oak chest and the Crown Room is sealed |
| 1818 | On 4 February, Sir Walter Scott and fellow commissioners break in and find the Honours intact |
| 1819 | The Honours go on public display for the first time |
| 1941 | Hidden inside the castle against invasion. The crown is buried in a medieval latrine in David's Tower |
| 1953 | Presented to Elizabeth II at St Giles' Cathedral |
| 1999 | The Crown attends the first sitting of the new Scottish Parliament |
| 2023 | Conservation completed (November), described by HES as the most significant in the Honours' history. The Honours are presented to Charles III at St Giles' on 5 July, with the newly made Elizabeth Sword standing in for the fragile Sword of State |
| 2026 | The Crown Room refurbishment (January to spring). On 27 June, the Crown is processed down the Royal Mile with the Elizabeth Sword for the opening of the Scottish Parliament's seventh session |
About the 2023 conservation: HES senior metals conservator Reed Hudson cleaned tarnish from the Sceptre under magnification with sable-hair brushes and hand-rolled cotton swabs. Parts of the Sword were treated with localised electrolytic reduction, which turns tarnish back into silver. The gold Crown needed no tarnish removal, only checks on its fittings. The team also X-rayed and digitally scanned all three pieces, so you can explore 3D models online before your visit.
The Stone of Destiny and Perth Museum
If you remember seeing the Stone of Destiny next to the crown, you're not imagining it. It sat in the Crown Room from 1996 until 2024, apart from a trip to Westminster Abbey for the coronation of King Charles III on 6 May 2023. It now lives at Perth Museum, which opened on 30 March 2024 close to Scone, where Scottish kings were once inaugurated. Under the 1996 arrangement it will travel to Westminster Abbey for future coronations, but it doesn't come back to Edinburgh Castle in between.
Perth Museum practical details for winter 2026–27:
- Price: free entry to the museum and to the Stone of Destiny Experience.
- Booking: timed slots every 10 minutes, booked at the front desk on the day. Online pre-booking is no longer needed, but groups of 10 or more must book ahead. The experience lasts about 10 minutes.
- Winter hours (October–April): Monday to Saturday 10am–5pm, Sunday 11am–4pm. The time of the last Stone slot isn't published, so arrive well before closing if the Stone is the reason you're going.
- Closure: the museum shuts for maintenance from 1 to 12 January 2027 and reopens on 13 January.
- Rules: expect bag checks. Large bags aren't allowed, and you can't take photos in the Stone experience.
- Getting there: ScotRail trains from Edinburgh Waverley take about 1 hour 32 minutes on average, then it's a walk of just under 15 minutes from Perth station.
The Stone experience was closed for 89 days in 2025 after its glass case was damaged on 12 July. It reopened on 9 October 2025, so check the Perth Museum visitor page before you travel. Perth is an easy day trip from Edinburgh by train, and the museum is a short walk from the station.
Visiting tips: timing, queues, photos and access
- Where: the Honours exhibition and Crown Room are on the first floor of the Royal Palace, on the east side of Crown Square at the top of the castle. The castle's own "Royal Route" itinerary, which includes the Honours, takes 1.5 hours.
- Best time: book the first 9.30am slot and head straight up to Crown Square. The castle had just over two million visits in 2025, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA), and HES says the new case presents the Honours for "the 2 million visitors who come to see them each year". November weekdays are usually far calmer than summer, but HES doesn't publish queue times, so think of a short wait as a bonus, not a guarantee.
- Photos: assume none in the Crown Room. Unofficial guides disagree, but the most recent first-hand report (2026) says photography isn't permitted. Flash is never a good idea around historic objects, and tripods and drones are banned across the site.
- Accessibility: the route up to Crown Square is about 350m of steep, uneven cobbles, so ask at the entrance for the free mobility vehicle (it doesn't run between 12.15pm and 1.15pm because of the One O'Clock Gun). The Palace Apartments have a short flight of stone steps with handrails at the entry and exit. There's a lift off Crown Square, and HES says the new case improves accessibility, so ask staff about step-free access to the Crown Room. Carers go free (up to two per booking).
- Bags: suitcases and rucksacks of 30 litres or more aren't allowed, and there's no left-luggage.
Winter visiting notes
From 1 October to 31 March the castle is open daily 9.30am–5pm, with last entry at 4pm. On 24 December it closes at 4pm, it's closed on 25 and 26 December, and on 1 January it opens at 11am. Adult tickets are £23.50 online or £26 at the gate, concessions (65+) are £19 online, and children (7–15) are £11.50 online. Once a slot sells out online, no tickets are sold at the castle, so book your castle tickets on the official site in advance. Our Edinburgh Castle in November guide has the full winter price breakdown and a shorter overview of the castle's highlights.
Planning a festive trip? Castle of Light isn't running in 2026 (see our Castle of Light update), but our guide to Edinburgh Castle at Christmas covers the festive opening days, the Victorian Christmas performances, the Christmas afternoon tea, the Christmas market in the gardens below the castle and the Hogmanay fireworks, which are launched from the castle. The Royal Palace is indoors but Crown Square is exposed to the wind, so wear warm layers and shoes with grip for the cobbles.
Guided tours and audio guide
- Official Guided Tour: a 30-minute outdoor tour in English, led by castle guides using headsets. It costs £6.50 per person (free for Historic Scotland members) and is sold as a guided tour ticket that includes your castle admission. Winter departures are at 10.15am, 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2.15pm and 3.15pm. You must pre-book and arrive 15 minutes early, and the tour may be cancelled in bad weather.
- Audio guide: £4, voiced by Saoirse Ronan, Bill Paterson and Andrew Gower. It's available in 12 languages and in large print, and you can use your own phone. It's free for blind and partially sighted visitors.
- Independent tours: longer, live-guided tours with entry included are sold through partners. The Edinburgh Castle 120-Minute In-Depth Tour with Expert Guide (from $62, 4.9/5 from 3,259 reviews on GetYourGuide) includes your entry ticket and lists the Crown Jewels and St Margaret's Chapel among its stops. Independent guides lead the outdoor courtyards, so you go into the Crown Room on your own. For a shorter tour, the Edinburgh Castle Guided History Tour with Tickets (from $52, 4.8/5 from 12,831 reviews) takes 1.5 hours. Our Edinburgh Castle tours guide compares the options.
Dates, prices and opening details were checked on 21 October 2026 and can change. Confirm with the official castle and Perth Museum websites before you travel.