Empress Eugénie’s damaged tiara found outside Louvre after 7-minute ‘movie-style’ jewellery heist

Empress Eugénie’s tiara was found outside the Louvre. It is one of the jewels stolen after the movie-style robbery that occurred this morning, shaking France and the world.

As reported by Le Parisien, the perpetrators managed to snatch nine pieces out of the 23 jewels in the collection of Napoleon and the Empress.

According to the same information, stolen items include: a jewellery set, a necklace, earrings, two crowns – including that of Empress Eugénie, which was found damaged outside the museum – and a brooch. A second item has been found, but it is not yet known exactly what it is.

The Crown of Empress Eugénie
Le Figaro reports that the crown consists of 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds. It is the only surviving crown, along with that of Louis XV.

A tour guide who spoke to Le Parisien and was due to accompany a group of tourists early this morning at the Louvre said: “As we entered the gate, it closed.” As he described, Empress Eugénie’s crown “is in a display case near a window.” “In the broken display case, there was the crown, a tiara, pearls, diamond brooches, and a medallion,” he said. The second display case contains a “set, with a necklace and a tiara,” according to the guide.

According to an internal museum source, the largest diamond in the collection, the famous Regent, weighing over 140 carats, was not stolen.

The impressive Galerie d’Apollon at the Louvre
The Galerie d’Apollon, targeted by the burglars, is one of the most impressive areas of the Louvre. According to Le Parisien, three historical objects are exhibited there, such as the Regent, but also the Sancy, a 55.23-carat diamond worn by Napoleon at his coronation, and the pink diamond, known as the “Hortensia,” which adorned the clothes or crowns of rulers.

The 23 jewels, which were gathered in one place today, are divided into three categories: jewellery dating before the Revolution, including the “Regent” and the “Sancy,” which were briefly placed in the personal coronation crown of Louis XV in 1722; jewels of the First Empire, the Restoration, and the July Monarchy; and jewels of the Second Empire, including Empress Eugénie’s jewellery.

Two perpetrators were dressed as workers – They burgled the Louvre in 7 minutes
Parisien reports that there were a total of four perpetrators, two of whom were dressed as workers in yellow vests.

The perpetrators allegedly arrived outside the Louvre on a motorcycle and used a mobile crane to gain access to the hall they wanted. According to a police source, they were equipped with small chainsaws. According to Le Parisien, citing investigation details, the perpetrators, who were fully covered with hoods, entered the building from the Seine riverbanks, where work is underway. They entered the museum using a mobile crane placed on a van to reach the “Apollo gallery.”

After smashing the windows, two went inside, while another remained outside to keep watch. The thieves grabbed nine jewels from the collection of Napoleon and the Empress. Everything happened in 7 minutes.

According to the same information, the perpetrators fled the scene on a TMax, heading towards the A6 motorway. A motorcycle was spotted after they escaped from the scene.