In a brazen daylight robbery that has left France stunned, four unidentified thieves pulled off a lightning-fast, seven-minute heist at the world-famous Louvre Museum, making off with eight pieces of irreplaceable royal jewellery, including jewels gifted by Napoleon himself.
The audacious raid took place Sunday morning inside the prestigious Apollo Gallery, home to the French Crown Jewels and Louis XIV’s historic collection.
According to French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, the robbers struck at 9:30 a.m., entering the museum through a cargo elevator hidden on a truck and cutting through a window using an angle grinder right under the noses of museum staff.
“They stole jewels which have a real heritage value an inestimable heritage value,” said Nuñez in an interview with France Inter.
Among the stolen treasures were:
A dazzling emerald and diamond necklace once gifted by Napoleon Bonaparte to his wife Marie Louise.
A sapphire necklace and earrings worn by Queen Hortense of Holland and Queen Marie Amélie
A reliquary brooch of royal significance
Empress Eugénie’s diamond diadem and her large brooch
As they fled the scene, the thieves reportedly dropped a 19th-century crown belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.
Though it was recovered near the museum, the exquisite gold piece, adorned with 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds was damaged during the escape.
According to Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the suspects were unarmed but used the angle grinders to intimidate museum guards.
Despite their lack of firearms, the robbery was executed with military-level precision.
French President Emmanuel Macron took to social media shortly after the incident, calling the theft “an attack on cherished heritage.”
He vowed swift justice and pledged all national resources to recovering the jewels.
“We will recover the works, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice,” Macron declared. “Everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this.”
The Louvre Museum the most visited art museum on the planet is no stranger to high-stakes drama. But even for a site housing the Mona Lisa, this theft stands out as a shocking violation of national and cultural history.