A diamond-studded tiara, a sapphire-studded tiara and a set of shimmering emerald earrings. These are just some of the items that went missing from the Louvre on the morning of Sunday, October 19, 2025, when thieves posing as workers stole several of the French Crown Jewels.
The thieves showed up at the museum about 30 minutes after the first visitors were allowed in, cut through a window, smashed several exhibits and stole treasures, and then fled the scene on scooters.
Here's how thieves pulled off the heist, stealing some of the world's shiniest objects. most visited museum.
Read more: 4 Famous Robberies That Shook the Art World
Collection of royal regalia stolen
According to police, the robbery began around 9:30 a.m. Associated Press. At the time, a car-mounted mechanical elevator—a type of machine commonly used in Paris to move furniture in and out of buildings—was located opposite the south façade of the museum, where it carried thieves to a ground-floor window.
Around 9:34 a.m., the thieves used a rotary cutter, a specialized power tool with a round blade, to saw through the window, setting off the burglar alarm, and then entered the Apollo Gallery, where the crown jewels were on display. When the alarm went off, the thieves broke two display cases and stole treasures. By 9:38 the thieves had already fled, riding off on two scooters waiting outside.
In total, they carried eight items adorned with thousands of diamonds and sparkling gemstones, including tiaras, tiaras and other jewelry from the French royal family. Among the stolen jewelry were the tiara and two brooches of Empress Eugenie (1826-1920), wife of Napoleon III; emerald necklace and earrings from Empress Marie Louise (1791–1847), wife of Napoleon I; and a sapphire tiara, a sapphire necklace and a single sapphire earring from Queen Marie-Amelie and Queen Hortensia.
The ninth item, the diamond- and emerald-encrusted crown of Empress Eugenie, which was likely left behind by the thieves when they escaped, was discovered outside on the street. The crown contains a total of 1,354 diamonds and 56 emeralds and appears broken – a better fate than other items that are likely to be broken up and sold, according to BBC, that is, unless they are found first.
Historical robberies at the Louvre
The entire incident took place on the ground floor of the museum, just a few galleries (and a few hundred feet, about 810) away from the Mona Lisa, which was itself the victim of a previous theft. In 1911, a man named Vincenzo Perugia, who worked at the museum and built a case for the painting, took the 16th-century masterpiece, then not very well known, from the wall and hid it in his coat, and after the museum closed, he took it outside. The painting was discovered in 1914 in Florence and returned to the museum – amid much media fuss – as a much better known work.
There have been other robberies at the Louvre since then, including the 1998 theft of the Sevres Painting, a 19th-century painting that remains unfound.
These past thefts, along with others, sparked ongoing interest in the museum's security systems that continue to attract attention today. Indeed, the Louvre has launched an ongoing project – the “New Renaissance”, or New Renaissance — strengthen protection for its priceless works of art earlier this year, according to a statement Associated Press. The project includes plans for a new command center and other security improvements in hopes of preventing similar incidents in the future.
Although no museum visitors were injured, the museum was evacuated and closed immediately after the theft. On Monday, the Louvre kept its doors closed with notice on website stating that “The Louvre will be closed today for exceptional reasons.” Although the Louvre is not open today and is typically closed on Tuesdays, it is unclear when the museum will reopen.
Read more: When people ruin art, restorers come to the rescue
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