This robbery also highlighted other issues facing the Louvre, including the condition of the building— in December, the scientific library was flooded, and there were strikes by staff and cases of ticket fraud that came to light this month.
Information about Laurence de Car
Laurence de Car took office as president of the Louvre in 2021. This appointment was announced during a meeting with the Minister of Culture, who recommends candidates for this position.According to authorities, eight items were stolen during the robbery, including diadems, earrings, brooches, and necklaces from the 19th century that once belonged to French royal families. The French Ministry of Culture confirmed that among the stolen items were:
- two brooches, a corsage bow, and the diadem of Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III;
- an emerald necklace and an earring from the collection of Marie-Louise, wife of Napoleon I;
- a necklace, a pair of earrings, and a diadem that belonged to Maria Amalia, wife of King Louis-Philippe I, as well as Hortense de Beauharnais, mother of Napoleon III.
Some of the stolen items, including the crown of Empress Eugénie, were found near the crime scene, indicating that the robbers may have dropped them during their escape. The remaining jewels are still in the hands of the criminals, despite the arrest of four suspects.
