Early Sunday morning, just after opening, several masked men stole valuable items from the Louvre in a “four-minute” robbery.

With visitors already inside, the thieves smashed display cases to retrieve “priceless” jewellery. The pieces belonged to prominent figures like the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, the Empress Marie Louise, Napoleon’s second wife, and other famous pieces that belonged to 19th-century Queen Marie-Amelie and Hortense.

In a statement, the Louvre museum said that investigations have begun and “a precise list of the stolen items is underway”.

“Beyond their market value, these items have inestimable heritage and historical value,” the statement said. 

Following the heist, police retrieved a blowtorch, two angle grinders, gasoline, a blanket, a walkie-talkie and a crown that had been left at the scene.

French President Emmanuel Macron took to X, saying it’s an attack on heritage and that the missing jewels “will be returned”.

“Perpetrators will be brought to justice,” he said.  

This comes after staff members at the Louvre complained of worker and security understaffing amidst growing crowds. 

Macron wrote that the government will enhance security as part of the Louvre’s Nouvelle Renaissance Project.

Photo: Visitors of Musée du Louvre, April 2005 (2) by Syced found HERE and used under a Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication licence. This image has not been modified.