A major heist occurred at the Louvre Museum in Paris on Sunday, October 19, 2025, when four masked thieves stole eight items of jewelry of “incalculable” and “inestimable” cultural and historical value from the Galerie d’Apollon, which houses France’s historic crown jewels.

The thieves, who used a vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to access the museum and broke into display cases with power tools, escaped on motor scooters within seven minutes of the raid’s start at 9:30 a.m. local time.

The museum was closed for the day, and a manhunt is underway for the suspects, with two pieces of jewelry, including Empress Eugénie’s crown, found abandoned near the scene.

I would never be on the side of thieves, and I wonder how this could have happened. Seems that the Louvre has a casual relationship with security.

Assuming they get away with this, the stones will most likely be removed from the settings, and the stones and metal sold.

Empress Eugenie’s crown. Dropped by the thieves at the scene.

The stolen items include:

a tiara and brooch belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III.

An emerald and diamond necklace and a pair of emerald earrings from Empress Marie Louise’s collection were taken.

A sapphire tiara, necklace, and one earring from the collection of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense were stolen.

The “reliquary brooch,” a diamond-encrusted piece, was also taken.

The crown of Empress Eugénie, featuring 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, was found broken nearby after being dropped by the fleeing suspects.