The Louvre Museum in Paris remains closed after a brazen daylight heist that took place on Sunday resulted in eight missing pieces of Napoleonic jewelry. Prosecutors in Paris said on Tuesday that the stolen jewels were worth an estimated $102 million ($88 million euros).

PARIS -- PARIS (AP) — The glittering sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds that once adorned France's royals could well be gone forever, experts say after a brazen, four-minute heist in broad daylight left the nation stunned and the government struggling to explain a new debacle at the Louvre.

The brazen robbery on Sunday has put a spotlight on security protocols in the sprawling museum, which have been tested over the years by break-ins and thefts.

The only camera monitoring the exterior wall of the Louvre where they broke in was pointing away from the first-floor balcony that led to Gallery of Apollo housing the jewels, she said. "We failed these jewels," she said, adding that no-one was protected from "brutal criminals - not even the Louvre".

Thieves reportedly stole nine pieces from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress in the Louvre, using a basket lift to reach the museum.

On October 19, 2025, the Louvre Museum faced a dramatic seven-minute robbery when thieves stole nine priceless jewels from the Apollo Gallery. The dar

Laurence des Cars is speaking for the first time since a gang of masked thieves - who remain at large - carried out Sunday's robbery.

The robbery, which prompted the swift evacuation of visitors and the museum’s closure for the rest of the day, is only the latest in a series of troubles to befall the venerable institution.

Louvre started as a medieval military fortress, then became a palace. It took a revolution to turn it into a museum. And it is this convoluted history and identity that make the Louvre a structure that is so difficult to monitor,