How old is the crown of Empress Eugénie? Diamond and emerald studded piece dropped outside Louvre Museum by thieves during heist

On Sunday morning, October 19, a brief heist took place in Paris' Louvre Museum shortly after its opening. Lasting nearly seven minutes, the heist took place in Louvre's Galerie d’Apollon (Apollo Gallery), which is home to several jewels of the French Crown, as well as other treasures, including the hardstone vessel collection of Louis XIV. 

PARIS, FRANCE: A robbery struck the Louvre Museum in Paris early this morning, when a team of thieves used a construction lift to break into the Galerie d’Apollon, or ‘home’ to France’s historic Crown Jewels. The heist lasted less than ten minutes, with the suspects smashing… pic.twitter.com/GWHBNRGCMT

— Lauren Conlin (@conlin_lauren) October 19, 2025

One of the jewels stolen by the robbers appeared to be left behind as it was discovered outside the museum. Seemingly dropped by mistake, it was the crown of Empress Eugénie, which was later recovered having incurred some damage, but still intact. 

The crown, which is 169 years old, was created by the French emperor Napolean III, for his wife, Eugénie de Montijo. The crown, which was made of pure gold, has over 1,300 diamonds studded on it, Town and Country Mag reports. 

It was a created in collaboration of various experts of the jewel world. Jeweler JP Maheu constructed its structure, while Alexandre-Gabriel Lemonnier was commissioned to mount emeralds and diamonds on it.

Meanwhile, the the eagles adorning it were created by the famous goldsmith siblings in Paris - August and Joseph Fannière. 

While the extent of the damage incurred by the crown of Empress Eugénie remains unknown at the moment, AP News reports that it was "recovered broken". 

Louvre heist could be one of the most highest-profile museum thefts in living memory

#Paris | Armed Thieves Steal Napoleonic Jewels in Louvre Heist
(Videos/Picture Courtesy : X)#France pic.twitter.com/fHmwPGIrC8

— Deccan Chronicle (@DeccanChronicle) October 19, 2025

The daylight heist at Louvre Museum - world's most-visited museum - is shaping up to be one of the most shocking heists of the decade.

Unfolding merely 250 metres away from where the Mona Lisa was housed in the museum, it took place at around 9:30 in the morning. 

Multiple robbers made their way into the Apollo Gallery by forcing a window open by disc cutters, and then went for the glass displays, smashing two of them open and picking up their contents.

Per AP News, noone was hurt during the process, after which the thieves fled the museum on motorbikes. 

A total of nine objects were stolen from the Apollo Gallery, one of which - the crown of Empress Eugénie - was recovered from outside the museum later.

However, the other jewels of the Empress - including a corsage-bow brooch and a diadem - is now gone. 

Other items that were stolen include an emerald necklace and matching pair of earrings that belonged to Napolean Bonaparte's second wife, Empress Marie-Louise, a single earring and a necklace belonging to French queens Hortense and Marie-Amélie, a sapphire diadem, and a reliquary brooch.

As the CCTV footage of the heist is in the process of being reviewed, none of the thieves have been recognized as of now. The chances of the recovery of the stolen items also seems to be slim.