Louvre President Steps Down Following €88 Million Jewelry Heist and Security Failures
The president of the Louvre Museum in Paris has officially resigned, four months after a brazen gang of thieves executed a dramatic daylight robbery, making off with €88 million worth of Napoleonic-era jewelry. Laurence des Cars, who had offered to step down immediately after the October burglary, submitted her resignation to French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.
Macron's office described the resignation as "an act of responsibility" and stated that the world's largest museum requires "calm and a strong new impetus" to address critical security and modernization projects. The Louvre has been embroiled in a series of crises in recent months, including strikes by trade unions demanding urgent renovations and staffing increases.
Parliamentary Inquiry Reveals Systemic Security Failures
The resignation comes just days after a parliamentary inquiry labeled the Louvre a "state within a state" and uncovered profound security lapses. Alexandre Portier, the inquiry's chair, declared that the burglary exposed "systemic failures", a "denial of risk", and a management structure that is "currently failing".
Des Cars, 59, who was appointed in 2021, acknowledged a "terrible failure" shortly after the heist, admitting that security camera coverage of the museum's exterior walls was "highly inadequate". She stated, "Despite our hard work, we failed."
Details of the Dramatic Daylight Heist
The audacious theft occurred in October when thieves used a furniture lift to break through a window into the Apollo gallery. Within just seven minutes, they smashed display cases, stole eight priceless items, and fled on scooters. The stolen jewelry includes:
- An emerald and diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to his second wife, Marie Louise.
- A diadem set with 212 pearls and nearly 2,000 diamonds that once belonged to Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III.
Four men have been arrested in connection with the heist, but the jewels remain unrecovered. The incident has been described as France's most dramatic museum robbery in decades.
Ongoing Security and Management Crises
The Louvre's troubles extend beyond the heist. Earlier this month, police detained nine people, including two staff members and several tour guides, as part of an investigation into a suspected €10 million ticket fraud scheme. This occurred while the museum was still reeling from the October robbery.
Trade unions have launched multiple strike days, protesting:
- Urgent renovation needs and staffing shortages.
- A recent increase in ticket prices for most non-EU visitors, including tourists from the UK, United States, and China.
Audit Reports Highlight Chronic Security Deficiencies
The head of France's state auditor last year called the theft "a deafening wake-up call" for the "wholly inadequate pace" of security upgrades at the museum. An administrative inquiry completed late last year highlighted a "chronic, structural underestimation of the risk of intrusion and theft" and "an inadequate level of security measures".
A recent report revealed that only 39% of rooms in the vast museum, which welcomed over 8.7 million visitors last year, had been equipped with CCTV cameras as of 2024. The report emphasized persistent delays in deploying essential security equipment, underscoring the urgent need for comprehensive reforms.
