In a brazen daylight robbery that has stunned France, four masked men broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris and made off with priceless royal jewels once belonging to Napoleon’s family — all in less than ten minutes.

The theft took place on Sunday morning in the museum’s famed Apollon Gallery, home to France’s crown jewels. According to authorities, the burglars used a hydraulic lift truck to reach a second-floor balcony overlooking the Seine. Around 9:30 a.m., just as visitors were beginning to enter through the main entrance, the thieves cut through a window with power tools, smashed display cases, and fled on motorcycles before police could respond.

“This was the work of a professional, well-prepared team,” said Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, confirming that eight historic pieces were stolen. “They knew the layout and the timing perfectly.”

What Was Stolen

France’s Ministry of Culture said that among the missing items were a sapphire tiara, earrings, and necklace belonging to 19th-century queens Marie-Amélie and Hortense, as well as jewels from Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon’s second wife. The museum confirmed that the Empress Eugénie’s crown — one of the most valuable pieces — was left behind, and the Regent Diamond, valued at over $60 million, remained untouched.

louvre robbery

The Apollo Gallery, completed in 1661 under Louis XIV, inspired the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles and houses some of the Louvre’s most treasured artifacts.

Political and Public Reaction

The heist immediately triggered political fallout. Far-right leader Jordan Bardella called it “a humiliation for France,” accusing President Emmanuel Macron of presiding over “the decay of the state.”

Macron vowed to recover the jewels and bring the perpetrators to justice. “This theft is an attack on our cultural heritage, on our very history,” he said.

Interior Minister Nunez announced further security upgrades for the Louvre, which had already increased protection in recent years. While the Mona Lisa is displayed behind bulletproof glass, the incident has exposed security weaknesses elsewhere in the museum, which holds more than 33,000 exhibits.

louvre robbery

Visitors expressed disbelief at how such a theft could occur in one of the world’s most secure museums. “How can someone climb in with a lift truck and steal royal jewels in broad daylight?” said Magali Quinelle, a teacher from Lyon. “It’s unbelievable.”

Not the First Time

The Louvre has endured theft before. In 1911, Italian decorator Vincenzo Peruggia famously stole the Mona Lisa by hiding in a supply closet overnight and walking out with the painting under his arm. It was recovered two years later. In 1956, another visitor threw a rock at the Mona Lisa, prompting the museum to encase it permanently in protective glass.