Gold rosary beads carried by Mary Queen of Scots at execution vanish in UK castle heist

British police are appealing for help to recover irreplaceable gold rosary beads carried by Mary Queen of Scots in 1587 at her execution, after thieves made off with a loot worth millions of dollars from one of England’s medieval castles. 

The treasures stolen included coronation cups given by Mary to the Earl Marshall at the time, plus gold and silver artefacts netted from display cabinets at Arundel Castle in the English countryside of West Sussex.

“The stolen items have significant monetary value, but as unique artefacts of the Duke of Norfolk’s collection have immeasurably greater and priceless historical importance,” a spokesman for Arundel Castle Trustees said.

“We therefore urge anyone with information to come forward to the police to assist them in returning these treasures back where they belong.”

Mary, a Roman Catholic, was ousted from the Scottish throne then imprisoned, accused of treason and executed on the orders of her Protestant cousin Elizabeth I of England.

Staff reportedly became aware of the break-in at 10.30pm on Friday (local time), alerted by a burglar alarm. 

When police arrived at the scene, they discovered a burnt-out car abandoned nearby, which is thought to be connected to the heist.