• Minister says ‘professional’ thieves took ‘minutes’ to make off with jewels; one gem-encrusted crown dropped during escape

PARIS: Thieves wielding power tools robbed the Louvre in broad daylight on Sunday, taking only a few minutes to grab some of France’s priceless crown jewels, but dropping a gem-encrusted crown as they fled on motorbikes.

The robbery took around four minutes, Culture Minister Rachida Dati told TF1, and was carried out by professionals. “We saw some footage: they don’t target people, they enter calmly in four minutes, smash display cases, take their loot, and leave. No violence, very professional,” Dati said on TF1. She said one piece of jewellery had been recovered outside the museum, apparently dropped as the thieves made their escape.

The 19th-century crown of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, was found broken near the museum afterwards. The crown, featuring golden eagles, is covered in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to the museum’s website.

How did they break into the Louvre?

The thieves pulled up outside the Louvre on Sunday morning, on a road along the Seine River, and used an extendable ladder to break into an upper window that looks into the Galerie d’Apollon, or Apollo Gallery, authorities said.

In 1661, after a fire broke out at the Louvre, Louis XIV began works on what is now the gallery, entrusting them to architect Louis Le Vau.

The gallery hosts the “Cte de Bretagne” spinel, a red-hued gemstone in the shape of a dragon which once belonged to Anne de Bretagne. There are also three important diamonds in the collection once owned by France’s ousted royalty. The first, the Regent, is one of the most famous in the world and weighs 140.64 carats. Sotheby’s has estimated the diamond to be worth more than $60 million.

The Hortensia, a pink diamond, has already been stolen at least once, in 1792. It was found a month after its disappearance.

The gallery also includes the crown of Louis XV, as well as the crown of Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, which local media reported the thieves dropped outside the museum as they made their getaway.

Other pieces of headwear include the tiara of the Duchess of Angoulme, an emerald and diamond tiara, and another tiara that was worn by Queen Hortense, Queen Marie-Amlie, and Isabelle of Orlans. The collection also includes an emerald necklace given by Napoleon to Marie-Louise on the occasion of their marriage, and Louis XIV’s hardstone vessel collection, which comprises some 800 pieces.

Probe underway

The robbery is likely to raise awkward questions about security at the museum, where officials had already sounded the alarm about lack of investment at a world-famous site, home to artworks such as the Mona Lisa, that welcomed 8.7 million visitors in 2024.

Interior Minister Lau­­r­ent Nunez told France Inter that three or four thieves got into the mus­eum from outside using a crane positioned on a tru­ck. “They broke a window, headed to several display cases and stole jewels ... which have a real historical, priceless value,” Nunez said.

No injuries were rep­o­rted, Dati said. Nunez said a probe had been opened, with a specialised police unit that has a high success rate in cracking high-profile robberies.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2025