Louvre Robbed: €88M Royal Jewels Taken

Paris, France – In a brazen daylight operation, thieves executed a swift and audacious heist at the Louvre Museum on Sunday, October 19, 2025, making off with eight priceless pieces of France's royal jewels. The stolen artifacts, including crowns and necklaces, are estimated to be worth €88 million, according to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau. This incident has sent shockwaves through the art world and reignited concerns over museum security.

The meticulously planned robbery occurred around 9:30 AM CEST, just 30 minutes after the museum opened its doors to visitors. Disguised as construction workers, the perpetrators used a vehicle-mounted electric hoist to access a first-floor balcony window of the Galerie d'Apollon, where the jewels were displayed.

Once inside, the thieves employed angle grinders to smash through a glazed window and two display cases, seizing the historical treasures in less than ten minutes. The rapid and brutal nature of the break-in triggered alarms, prompting museum staff to initiate security protocols and contact law enforcement immediately.

Following the theft, the culprits fled the scene on motorbikes, leaving behind some tools and even dropping one of the stolen items, Empress Eugénie's crown, which was later recovered in a damaged state. The incident marks the first art theft from the Louvre since 1998, drawing parallels to past high-profile museum security breaches.

A massive police hunt is now underway, involving approximately 100 investigators dedicated to tracking down the suspects and recovering the stolen gems. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that the inquiry is "progressing" and expressed confidence in apprehending the perpetrators.

However, experts like criminologist Alain Bauer suggest that while the thieves may be caught, the jewels themselves might be lost forever. The fear is that these historically significant pieces will be dismantled and sold for their raw materials on the black market, erasing centuries of cultural heritage.

• The stolen collection comprises eight significant pieces of 19th-century French royal and imperial jewelry. Among them are a sapphire diadem, necklace, and single earring from a set linked to Queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense. Also taken were an emerald necklace and matching earrings, a wedding gift from Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, and Empress Eugénie's diamond-studded diadem and large corsage-bow brooch.

• The heist has intensified scrutiny on the Louvre's security measures, with allegations of staff reductions and understaffing undermining the museum's protection. Labour unions had previously complained about "the destruction of security jobs" at the Louvre, and a security audit requested by Louvre director Laurence des Cars had only begun implementation at the time of the robbery.

• The method of entry, involving a vehicle-mounted hoist and thieves disguised as construction workers, highlights a sophisticated and well-rehearsed operation. The use of power tools like angle grinders to breach display cases suggests a criminal group prepared for a rapid and forceful extraction, exploiting potential vulnerabilities in the museum's exterior and internal security.

• The estimated value of €88 million, confirmed by Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, represents not only the material worth but also the immense historical and cultural significance of the items. Experts warn that if the jewels are broken up, their historical context and provenance will be irrevocably lost, transforming priceless artifacts into mere commodities.

• This incident is not the first time the Louvre has faced a major theft; the most famous being the 1911 disappearance of the Mona Lisa, which was eventually recovered. More recently, the painting "Le chemin de Sèvres" was stolen in 1998 and remains unrecovered, underscoring the long-standing challenges in protecting such vast and valuable collections.

• In response to the theft, the stolen jewels have been promptly added to INTERPOL's Stolen Works of Art database, a crucial step in international efforts to prevent their illicit sale and aid in their recovery. INTERPOL has also issued a special edition poster to alert its global membership about the missing items, emphasizing the international scope of the investigation.

• The Louvre reopened on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, three days after the heist, with visitors queuing to enter despite the ongoing investigation. However, the Apollo Gallery, the scene of the crime, remains closed as forensic teams continue their work, and the museum faces pressure to address the security lapses that allowed such a high-profile theft to occur.