Napoleon's jewels and crown stolen in broad daylight from the Louvre in just minutes

by Wouter Engler

On Sunday, October 19, 2025, the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, was the target of a robbery in which several precious pieces of jewelry were stolen. The incident occurred at around 9:30 AM, approximately 30 minutes after opening, while visitors were already inside the museum. Following this incident, the museum was closed for the rest of the day for 'exceptional reasons.'

Le Musée du Louvre cible d'un braquage ce dimanche, des bijoux dérobés - Le Parisien
https://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/le-musee-du-louvre-cible-dun-braquage-ce-dimanche-le-site-ferme-au-public-19-10-2025-DQII6PEIVVEDBM5KQMHDSCF6IM.php

Thieves use basket lift in daring Louvre robbery, steal priceless jewels | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/france-louvre-museum-robbery-a3687f330a43e0aaff68c732c4b2585b

The group of perpetrators was a group of four men wearing ski masks, and the attack is believed to have been carefully planned. According to French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, the group had been scouting the area. According to French media outlet Le Parisien, two of the four were disguised as construction workers and wore yellow safety vests.

The perpetrators entered the building from the upper floors using a crane with a gondola from the Seine side, where construction was underway, and gained access to the ground floor galleries, just 250 metres from the room where the famous 'Mona Lisa' is displayed.

??????? - Thieves used a ladder, chainsaws, and disc cutters to steal 9 priceless Napoleon-era jewels from Galerie d'Apollon in 7 minutes, just after 09:00 local time opening. The museum closed has been closed, the visitors evacuated and the streets near Louvre have been sealed. One… pic.twitter.com/dqRx8mC7ND

— EuroWatcher - News for you (@EuroWatcherEUW) October 19, 2025

The group then used a disc grinder to cut through the window glass, gaining entry into the gallery and destroying two display cases. The attack took only four minutes, according to France's Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, and seven minutes, according to Le Parisien. The perpetrators then fled on scooters they had prepared.

The items stolen were primarily 19th-century French royal jewelry, including a sapphire tiara, necklace, and earrings belonging to Marie-Amélie , wife of Louis-Philippe I; an emerald necklace, earrings, and reliquary brooch belonging to Marie-Louise , second wife of Napoleon Bonaparte; and a tiara and corsage/ribbon brooch belonging to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III . The most famous item in the collection, the 'Le Régent' diamond ring weighing over 140 carats, was spared. One of the stolen items, the crown of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, was reportedly found and recovered outside the museum in a damaged state. Experts believe the stolen jewelry will be professionally disassembled and reworked, making it difficult to recover in its original form.

The crown of Empress Eugénie (1826–1920), earlier today, has been found broken outside the Louvre Museum. pic.twitter.com/UpZngTi9Ed

— Masterpieces of France (@FrenchArt_) October 19, 2025

After the incident, Culture Minister Dati and Interior Minister Nunez rushed to the scene and confirmed that no one was injured. The Paris prosecutor's office immediately launched an investigation, and the Anti-Robbery Unit (BRB) is in charge of the incident. Investigative authorities are analyzing surveillance camera footage and examining the gondola left at the scene. Local media have reported on the chaotic situation at the time of the incident, with visitors being suddenly forced to leave the museum and police officers outside unable to enter through locked doors.

????????? Thieves have robbed the Louvre in Paris — Napoleon's treasures stolen

Thousands of Parisians and tourists were unable to enter the world-famous Louvre Museum on the morning of October 19, as the building was cordoned off by security forces and its doors closed. Shortly after,… pic.twitter.com/FYqLTn0nUV

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) October 19, 2025

According to the Associated Press, the Louvre, which receives over 9 million visitors annually, has long been known for its weak security system due to staff shortages and overcrowding, leading to a strike by employees in June 2025. The AP points out that this incident highlights the problem that not all of the museum's collections are protected as securely as the Mona Lisa. The incident has also become a political issue, with far-right party leader Jordan Bardella criticizing the Macron administration for the robbery, calling it a symbol of 'national decline,' according to the AP.

Le Parisien points out that, coincidentally, this incident occurred in the same month as the 1792 theft of the French crown jewels, in which the burglar entered through an exterior wall on an upper floor, and that it occurred in the same month as the 100th anniversary of the death of the thief who stole the famous painting 'Mona Lisa' in 1911 .