On October 19, 2025, thieves stole valuable royal jewellery from the Louvre Museum in Paris in a fast and daring robbery. The crime happened in broad daylight and took only seven minutes.
Four masked robbers used a lift to reach a second-floor window of the museum. They wore construction vests to blend in and used tools to break in. Once inside, they smashed glass cases and grabbed eight pieces of historic jewellery. Then they escaped on motorbikes.
The stolen items included a sapphire tiara, emerald necklaces, diamond brooches, and other pieces once owned by French royals like Empress Eugénie and Queen Marie-Amélie. One crown was dropped during the escape and later found damaged.
Police are investigating, but experts say the jewels are too famous to sell easily. There’s concern the thieves might break them apart to hide their origin.
President Emmanuel Macron called the theft an attack on France’s history and promised to catch those responsible. The Louvre is now closed while the investigation continues.
Stolen Tiara From Louvre Museum
Image: Louvre Museum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Words
- blend in = so that you do not notice them
- broad daylight = during daytime and for everyone to see
- brooch = a piece of jewellery that you fasten to your clothes, usually worn by women
- concern = worry
- daring = with a lot of risk and danger
- escape = get away
- investigate = to try to find out who the thieves were
- jewellery = small things that you wear on your hand or neck, like rings, necklaces etc…
- origin = where they came from
- reach = get to
- responsible = here: the ones to blame
- royal = from a king or a queen
- sapphire tiara = a small crown made of bright blue jewels
- theft = the crime of stealing
- valuable = worth a lot of money
- vest = clothes that you wear to protect the upper part of your body