Louvre Museum Heist: Major details revealed about royal jewelry theft

The world's most favorite Louver Museum in Paris, France, was closed on Sunday, October 19, 2025, after a heist was reported about a major jewelry theft.

The Ministry of Culture, France, confirmed that the home of the French crown jewels was robbed and that priceless Napoleonic jewels were stolen, reports the BBC.

French police officials reported that the most precious historical jewelry pieces had been stolen, including the “Crown” and the royal necklace, which Napoleon gifted to his wife, Empress Eugenie de Montijo.

According to the French culture ministry nine royal jewelry pieces were stolen from Louvre Museum including a highly valuable ‘crown’ of Napoleon III’s wife (which the thieves dropped on their way out along with the regent diamond), valued more than US$60m (£45m).

According to the officials the jewelry pieces left near the scene were apparently dropped by the thieves in their haste to escape the site immediately.

The investigators are still checking for the damages of the most valuable ornate crown that features golden eagles and is covered in 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds, according to the Louvre's website.

The other stolen pieces which the thieves took along, included a tiara, earrings and a sapphire necklace from the jewelry set of Queen Hortense and pieces of jewelry from the Marie-Louise set along with a brooch that once belonged to "Empress Eugenie."

The precious jewelry pieces were housed in the Galeria d'Apollon which was built in 1661 by Louis XIV.

The Galerie d'Appollon is an enormous room on the upper floor of the Petite Galerie, which houses the French Crown Jewels as well as the royal collection of hardstone vessels, paintings, tapestries and medallions, the museum's website said.

Moreover, all the stolen items belonged to France's 19th century royalty and are encrusted with thousands of diamonds and other precious gemstones.

As reported by BBC, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said it took just a few minutes for the masked suspects to carry out the burglary in the Louvre Museum.

Nuñez said that beyond their commercial value, the stolen pieces have a cultural and historical value that could not be calculated, describing them as "priceless" and "of immeasurable heritage value."

The officials assumed that the criminals preferred to steal jewels because they can be simply broken down and sold for cash whereas it is more difficult to make money from precious stolen artworks which are easily recognizable.

Louvre Museum heist sparked new political debate

It is not for the first time that precious items were stolen from the Louvre Museum, and the museum holds a history of major thefts, including the stolen painting Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, and other precious items in history.

The latest jewelry heist has left many questions about the security management at the world’s most popular museum which draws up to 30,000 visitors a day that is being closed for an exceptional reason, said authorities.

French interior minister Laurent Nunez explained that the "major robbery" involved intruders entering the museum via a basket lift using a platform mounted on a lorry.

"They broke a window and went towards several display cases where they stole jewelry. These are jewels that have genuine heritage value and are, in fact, priceless," said Nunez.

Culture minister Rachida Dati said footage of the operation showed the thieves "don't target people, they enter calmly in four minutes, smash display cases, take their loot, and leave".

"No violence, very professional," she added.

In addition to that, Far-right leader Jordan Bardella, questioning the museum’s security, also expressed his views in a post.

“The Louvre is a global symbol of our culture,” Bardella wrote on X. 

“This robbery, which allowed thieves to steal jewels from the French Crown, is an unbearable humiliation for our country. How far will the decay of the state go?" he added. 

Another regular visitor at the Louver, Magali Cunel, expressed his concerns, “How can they ride a lift to a window and take jewels in the middle of the day? It’s just unbelievable that a museum this famous can have such obvious security gaps.”

Following the museum heist, French President Emmanuel Macron had taken notice of the situation and ensured justice against this criminal offense.

President Macron said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter): "We will recover the works and the perpetrators will be brought to justice.

"Everything is being done, everywhere, to achieve this," Macron added.