Journalism of Courage
The Louvre reopened on Wednesday, but now it’s now a race against time for French authorities to recover the nation’s stolen crown jewels — treasures worth an estimated $102 million (Rs 850 crore) — after a lightning-fast, four-minute robbery at the Louvre Museum left France stunned and scrambling for answers.
More than 100 investigators are now on the hunt for the culprits and the missing jewels, but experts say every passing hour makes recovery less likely. The museum is open now but Apollo Gallery — where the theft took place — remained closed as investigators combed through the crime scene.
The audacious daylight theft, which took place on Sunday morning, saw thieves make off with eight royal jewels that once belonged to France’s monarchs — including two crowns, an emerald-and-diamond necklace, sapphire-studded ornaments, and a diamond-encrusted brooch. The jewels, dating back to the 16th century, represent the pinnacle of 19th-century “haute joaillerie” and the legacy of France’s imperial history.
According to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the suspects — dressed in bright yellow jackets — broke into the gallery at 9:34 am and fled by 9:38 am on motorbikes, using a cherry picker to access the museum’s upper windows.
Among the stolen items were Empress Eugenie’s wedding crown, set with nearly 2,000 diamonds and 200 pearls, and a sapphire-and-diamond diadem worn by Queen Marie-Amelie. Also missing is an emerald-and-diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife Marie-Louise of Austria in 1810, along with matching earrings, a reliquary brooch, and a large diamond-studded bodice bow.
A ninth piece — another of Eugenie’s crowns — was dropped and damaged during the robbers’ escape.
Experts warn that the jewels are likely being dismantled and sold off on the black market, making recovery almost impossible. “If these gems are broken up and sold off, they will, in effect, vanish from history,” AP quoted Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds as saying.
“It’s extremely unlikely these jewels will ever be retrieved and seen again,” he added.
The heist has sparked national outrage and embarrassment for the government, already facing criticism for repeated lapses in museum security. Conservative lawmaker Maxime Michelet told Parliament, “Empress Eugenie’s crown — stolen, then dropped and found broken in the gutter, has become the symbol of the decline of a nation that used to be so admired. It is shameful for our country, incapable of guaranteeing the security of the world’s largest museum.”
In recent years, the Louvre has struggled with mass tourism, staff strikes, and acts of vandalism — including a 2024 protest in which activists threw soup at the Mona Lisa. President Emmanuel Macron has since announced plans for a major renovation, including a dedicated room for the painting.
The heist has drawn comparisons to ‘Lupin’, the Netflix series, which features a fictional heist of a royal crown by a “gentleman thief” from the Louvre. But art crime experts warn there is little glamour in the real thing.
“These criminals are just looking to steal whatever they can,” said Christopher A. Marinello of Art Recovery International, AP reported. “They chose this room because it was close to a window. They chose these jewels because they figured that they could break them apart, take out the settings, take out the diamonds and the sapphires and the emeralds” overseas to “a dodgy dealer that’s willing to recut them and no one would ever know what they did.”
Dutch art detective Arthur Brand agreed: “Nobody will touch these jewels. They are too famous, too hot to sell. If you get caught, you end up in prison.”
