An unprecedented heist took place at the Louvre Museum in Paris on 19 October in broad daylight, half an hour after the museum opened to visitors when a group of criminals carried out a lightning-fast burglary at the famed Apollon Gallery, leaving the public and French politicians ‘shocked’.
“Closed for exceptional reasons” announced the world-famous museum on X, after what has been described as the most daring break-in in its history.
Informations relatives au vol par effraction survenu ce dimanche 19 octobre au musée du Louvre. pic.twitter.com/Qb1G8Jgg1w
— Musée du Louvre (@MuseeLouvre) October 19, 2025
How it happened
At around 9:30 a.m., the four thieves entered the premises through a second-floor window, on the Seine-facing side of the building, using a truck-mounted basket lift. They cut the windowpanes with angle grinders and power tools, threatened the on-duty guards and proceeded straight to the galleries displaying the French Crown Jewels. There, they smashed two display cases and made off with the loot. Their vehicle reportedly went unnoticed amid ongoing construction works along the Seine.
The entire operation lasted only about seven minutes. The thieves escaped on two Yamaha mopeds with eight pieces of jewellery of great historical and monetary value.
They walked into Louvre Museum at 9:30 a.m.
— Culture Explorer (@CultureExploreX) October 19, 2025
Used a crane. Smashed a window.
Stole the French crown jewels in 4 minutes.
No violence. Just precision.
If a world-famous museum can be robbed in broad daylight… what does that say about the guardians of culture? pic.twitter.com/cUn0DX9qnx
France’s Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, who viewed the surveillance footage, told French TV channel TF1 that the robbers did not target people: “They entered calmly, smashed the display cases in four minutes, took the loot and left. No violence, very professional”. She added that they had tried to set fire to the ladder-mounted vehicle before leaving, seemingly to destroy any evidence, but were stopped by the museum guards.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described the burglars as “seasoned professionals”, possibly foreign, who were “potentially known for similar acts”, but he sounded hopeful that they could be caught quickly.
What was stolen
According to the French culture ministry, the thieves stole eight pieces of royal jewellery, all of immense historical value. Among them were a tiara, a necklace, and a single earring from the sapphire set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, made of Ceylon sapphires and diamonds.
Also stolen were an emerald and diamond necklace and a pair of matching emerald earrings from Empress Marie-Louise’s parure, crafted in 1810 as a wedding gift from Napoleon. The necklace features 32 emeralds and over 1,100 diamonds.
Two pieces from the collection of Empress Eugénie were also taken: a large corsage bow brooch and a tiara, as well as a third piece linked to her: the Reliquary Brooch, which is composed of 94 diamonds.
One piece, the Crown of Empress Eugénie, was recovered outside the museum and was damaged. Created for the 1855 Exposition Universelle, the piece symbolised the splendour of the Second Empire.
Reactions in France
President Emmanuel Macron posted on X: “We will recover the stolen items and bring the perpetrators to justice. Everything is being done to achieve this”.
French politicians reacted quickly. Ariel Weil, the Socialist mayor of Paris, described the burglary as “straight out of a film noir”, while Jordan Bardella, the president of Marine Le Pen’s party, called it “an unbearable humiliation for our country”. Núñez said that “targeting the Louvre is targeting our history and our heritage”.
Le vol commis au Louvre est une atteinte à un patrimoine que nous chérissons car il est notre Histoire.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) October 19, 2025
Nous retrouverons les œuvres et les auteurs seront traduits en justice. Tout est mis en œuvre, partout, pour y arriver, sous la conduite du parquet de Paris.…
In January, Macron announced a major overhaul of the museum to improve visitor experience and security.
Videos shared on social media showed police sirens blaring, officers securing the perimeter, and visitors being evacuated. Two American tourists told the BBC that guards had cited “technical difficulties” just as they were about to see the Mona Lisa. Unfazed, they called it “the most exciting part of their long trip”.
The Louvre has only experienced a few major thefts in its history: the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911 and recovered in Florence two years later; two Renaissance armours were stolen in 1983 and recovered four decades later; and a painting was stolen in 1998 and is still missing.
Experts warn that time is now of the essence. Unless the thieves were monarchist nostalgics acting out of sentimentality, the jewels are too well known to be sold; their only value would lie in melting the metal and removing the gems. Once melted down, the chances of recovering the historical items would be extremely slim.
