Standing upon the basalt core of an extinct  volcano, Edinburgh Castle is an assemblage of buildings dating from the 12^th to the 20^th century, reflecting its changing role as fortress, royal palace, military garrison and state prison.

The castle was a favorite royal residence until the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when James VI of Scotland became James I of England. After the Union of Parliaments in 1707, the Scottish regalia were walled up in the Palace for over a century.

The Palace is now the zealous possessor of the so-called Stone of Destiny, a relic of ancient Scottish kings which was seized by the English and not returned to Scotland until 1996.