On Sunday 19 October, a group of thieves brazenly committed a heist on the world's most popular museum, the Louvre, in broad daylight. In their escape, they made off with a stash of priceless jewels, artefacts and remnants of French history. However, cataclysmically, two items were dropped as the thieves made their escape, one of which was the Crown of Empress Eugénie. Featuring 1,354 diamonds, 56 emeralds, and golden eagles, the crown is said to be worth tens of millions of euros.
What was stolen in the Louvre heist?
According to AFP, "French authorities on Sunday found a damaged 19th-century crown near the Louvre in Paris after the museum was robbed earlier in the day, a source following the case told AFP." TIME also reported: "Police reported finding one jewel outside the Museum, which they later identified as the Crown of Empress Eugénie, but noted that it had been damaged." The extent of the damage was not reported; however the Associated Press said the crown was "recovered broken." Other items that were reported to be missing in the wake of the heist include:
© GrandPalaisRmn (Louvre Museum) / Stéphane Maréchalle- Tiara from the jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense
- Necklace from the sapphire jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense
- Earring, part of a pair from the sapphire jewellery set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense
- Emerald necklace from the Marie-Louise set
- Pair of emerald earrings from the Marie-Louise set
- Brooch known as the reliquary brooch
- Large bodice knot (brooch) of Empress Eugénie
Who were Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie
The crown that was recovered outside of the Louvre belonged to Empress Eugénie, who was the wife of Napoleon III. Nephew of Napoleon I, Napoleon III was France's first elected president and later its emperor, founding the Second Empire. His wife was Spanish noblewoman turned France's last empress, Eugénie. After losing the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, Napoleon III was captured by the Prussians at the Battle of Sedan. The pair lived out the rest of their time in exile in Chislehurst, Kent.
© Getty ImagesThe stolen crown was originally commissioned by Napoleon III for display at the Exposition Universelle of 1855 – an early iteration of the World's Fair in Paris. It's thought that the crown was never actually worn by Eugénie but was instead commissioned as a symbolic piece to showcase French art, luxury, and industry to the world.
