By Basiima Muwanga-Ssevume, Year 12
At 9:30 am on the 19th of October 2025, four thieves entered the Galerie d’Apollon in the Louvre Museum in Paris and stole France’s Crown Jewels, worth approximately 88 million euros, in 4 minutes. The theft occurred in broad daylight during the museum’s opening hours, and the crew spent only 4 of the 8 minutes inside the building.
The thieves, disguised as construction workers, broke through a window of the gallery using a truck mounted with a mechanical ladder. Once inside, they used power tools, and stole nine items: a tiara, necklace and pair of earrings worn by Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortense; an emerald necklace and pair of earrings given to Marie-Louise by Napoleon Bonaparte; a brooch known as the ‘reliquary brooch’; and a tiara, crown and diamond brooch belonging to Empress Eugénie.
However, they only successfully stole 8 of these nine items as they dropped the crown of Empress Eugénie as they escaped. At around 9:38, the thieves left on motorized scooters after attempting to set fire to the ladders they used to enter the gallery.
The Louvre’s director revealed that the only camera monitoring the Galerie d’Apollon was pointed away from the balcony where the thieves entered.
The jewels—if not recovered—would be broken apart, the larger, more recognizable stones recut, and the silver and gold melted. The value of the raw materials, though significantly less than that of the jewellery itself, is still substantial, weighing in at around 10 million euros. The Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the arrests had been made on Saturday evening, without specifying how many people had been taken into custody.
On Saturday, the 25th of October, two suspects were arrested, one was attempting to travel to Algeria from Charles de Gaulle Airport, but the other had no plans to leave France. Both were men around thirty years of age with criminal records. Specialist police were allowed to detain and interrogate the pair for up to 96 hours. The DNA evidence found at the scene is the likely cause of their arrest. Several items, including gloves and a high-vis jacket, were found and analysed. These two men have now been charged with theft and criminal conspiracy.
On Wednesday, the 29th, five more suspects were arrested over their involvement in the heist. They were arrested on Wednesday night in Paris during organised raids. As of the 2nd of November, a 38-year-old woman has been charged with complicity in organised theft and criminal conspiracy with a view to committing a crime; she appeared in court and was in tears, fearing for herself and her children. Additionally, a 37-year-old man has been charged with theft and criminal conspiracy. Both denied any involvement.
Paris prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, said, concerning the heist, that, “This is not quite everyday delinquency… but it is a type of delinquency that we do not generally associate with the upper echelons of organised crime.” Of those associated with the crime, four lived in Seine-Saint-Denis, an impoverished area north of Paris. This may be why Beccau claimed that they were “clearly local people.”
Despite police efforts and media coverage, the jewels have not yet been recovered.
