Huge crowds are expected to descend on Perthshire’s Scone Palace when it hosts a dramatic medieval combat event with a real edge.
For the first time the International Medieval Combat Federation World Championships are coming to the UK and will be held at the famed crowning place of kings from May 10 to 13.
While medieval re-enactment fighting has been popular for decades, the championships will see ancient combat revived as a regulated sport featuring historically accurate weapons and armour.
Organisers and participants say the sport is relatively free of injuries and that rugby players sustain more bumps and scrapes than those taking part in full-contact medieval fights.
Scone Palace’s hosting of the world championships came about after William Murray, Viscount Stormont, son of the Earl and Countess of Mansfield, learned about the growing popularity of the sport.
While working in New York he met various people involved in the event and offered to host the 2018 world championships at Scone Palace.
“It was quite the spectacle, like watching boxing in armour,” said Viscount Stormont.
“It was hugely entertaining to watch, and not for the faint-hearted. I was brought up watching the film A Knight’s Tale, so I found myself completely taken by the sport. It’s a real coup for us to be hosting the world championships.”
