Alistair Hardaker
Image: Pearl and diamond tiara of Empress Eugenie, photographed in 2023
Criminals reportedly use basket lift and power tools in theft at museum’s Apollo Gallery
A reported eight items were stolen from the Louvre Museum over the weekend in a daytime burglary.
The museum’s Apollo Gallery, which houses the royal collection of gems and the Crown diamonds was targeted.
France’s Ministry of Culture reports that two high-security showcases were targeted and eight items were successfully stolen, each containing diamonds and precious gemstones.
The stolen items were a tiara and brooch belonging to Empress Eugénie, an emerald necklace and a pair of emerald earrings from Empress Marie Louise, a tiara, necklace, and single earring from the sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense, and brooch known as the the “reliquary brooch.”
The thieves reportedly used a basket lift to gain access a first floor museum window, and power tools to gain entry.
The ministry reports that at the time of the break-in five museum workers were present in the room and in the adjacent spaces, and attempted to intervene following security protocol before contacting police. There were no injuries to staff or the public during the attack.
The criminals also attempted to steal the crown of Empress Eugenie, but were unsuccessful. Its condition is being examined by the museum.
Chris Marinello, chief executive of Art Recovery International told BBC News said there was a risk that the thieves would “break them up, melt down the valuable metal, recut the valuable stones and hide evidence of their crime”.
“The theft committed at the Louvre is an attack on a heritage that we cherish because it is our History,” President Emmanuel Macron said on X. “We will recover the works, and the perpetrators will be brought to justice.”
