On October 19, 2025, the Apollo Gallery at the Louvre in France was hit with shock. In the Apollo Gallery, or Galerie d’Apollon in French, you would typically see the display of the emerald set that used to belong to Marie-Louise. You would also see Empress Eugénie’s brooch and tiara, along with the other pieces of jewelry from the Royals. However, when security checked the exhibit on that seemingly ordinary day, $102 million worth of jewelry was gone.
An overview on the items that they took
It turns out that the robbers had collected an assortment of jewelry and carried them onto their getaway vehicle. From the heist, the robbers gathered a series of valuable items : Marie-Louise’s sapphire necklace (which Napoleon I gave to Marie-Louise as a wedding gift in 1810), her emerald and diamond necklace (also gifted to her from Napoleon I), her emerald and diamond earrings (another gift from Napoleon I) and her sapphire and diamond earrings (you guessed it, an offering from Napoleon I). The jewellery that belonged to Empress Eugénie was the diamond bow bodice and her diamond brooch. Other jewelry that was stolen, but did not belong to either of the royals, was the sapphire and diamond crown and a pearl and diamond tiara worn by Queen Hortense and Queen Marie-Amelie.
As stated above, these pieces are worth around $102 million collectively. However, what makes them so precious is not only the type of gems that they used, but also the history of the powerful monarchs that once wore them.
How did they do it?
When security searched the area to find the suspects, they found a gold crown that was worn by Empress Eugénie on the floor. In an attempt to snatch this piece, the suspects dropped it. It is unknown whether it was an accident or done on purpose, however, the leading theory on the Internet horizons is definitely the latter. During the investigation, it has been reported that a total of four robbers were involved. It was also found that it took them less than eight minutes to get at least eight of the pieces out of the gallery and escape undetected. Judging by the incredible efficiency and cleverness of the heist, it’s clear that there was a tremendous amount of planning and teamwork involved.
News channels such as Le Parisien, reported that two of the robbers were posing as construction workers around the museum, while the other two were driving by on their scooters. The robbery itself took place around 9:30 in the morning Central European Standard Time. This was around half an hour before the museum opened. It is reported that they used a ladder to help them get to the balcony that reached the exhibit. After that, they used a window cutter to gain access to the museum, which triggered the alarms. With their tools, the suspects threatened security and proceeded to take the pieces of jewelry from the display case.
They took the lift and regrouped with the other two members of their team as they made their way out of the museum. While they were on the way to their escape route, they dropped Empress Eugénie’s crown and left it behind on the street. Whether it was an act of boasting to the authorities or a simple accident is still up for interpretation, yet results remain the same — the robbers got away.
Recent updates made a month later
Almost immediately after the museum was robbed, it was closed down to the public in order to reduce the risk of another act of larceny. Interpol or the International Criminal Police Organization added this incident onto their list, aiding its investigation. While the museum reopened on October 22, 2025, the Apollo Gallery is still closed. As of November 2025, France’s Louvre Museum has stated that they would install a new security system containing 100 cameras by the end of 2026. This security system will increase protection for the items that are in the museum.
Since a public robbery such as this is a rare occurrence, it is no wonder that the public seems more invested in the progress of the ongoing investigation. Many people have remarked on how shocking this is in our modern day.
