One year after the Louvre heist, the crown jewels are still missing

On 19 October 2025, thieves disguised as workmen used disc cutters to break into the Louvre in Paris and took eight items from the French crown jewels, valued at an estimated 88 million euros. They include pieces that belonged to Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, among them a brooch. President Emmanuel Macron called the theft an attack on France's history. On the anniversary, the AFP news agency reported that the jewels are still listed as missing in Interpol's database of stolen artworks.

The four main suspects were arrested within ten days and are in jail awaiting trial; no trial date has been announced. The jewels were last seen on CCTV footage in an underground lock-up in Aubervilliers, a northern Paris suburb where all the suspects live. An investigation team of around 100 searched the homes, cellars, garages and attics of the suspects and their families without success. Two suspects claim a ringleader was involved; according to a source close to the case, investigators are sceptical.

Experts see several possible scenarios. "There was a short period of time where they may have hidden them in a wall or buried them," said Christopher Marinello of Art Recovery International. Dutch art detective Arthur Brand is counting on a suspect talking and named Antwerp as the most likely destination for the diamonds. Corrado Catesi, head of Interpol's stolen art unit, said recovery can take anywhere from three months to 40 years.