During a visit to Mexico on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron promised that the royal jewels stolen from the Louvre would be recovered.
“We have begun questioning part of the group that carried out the theft. The valuables will be found, they will be caught, and they will be brought to justice,” he told Televisa.
The head of state added that this is “an opportunity to emerge from this incident stronger, as it was a shock to everyone.”
Macron also promised that the security system at the Paris museum would be “completely overhauled.” He mentioned the “New Louvre Renaissance” plan announced in January, which includes a new grand entrance and a room dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.”
On October 19, thieves broke into the Louvre and stole €88 million worth of jewels in record time.
According to authorities, the tiara of Empress Eugénie (wife of Napoleon III), adorned with nearly 2,000 diamonds, is among eight items deemed to be of “priceless historical value.” Four suspects have been arrested, but the valuables remain missing. The Court of Auditors has increased the project’s estimated cost to 1.15 billion euros, while the president’s inner circle had previously estimated 700-800 million. In its current form, the project is considered “unfunded.”