Did Louvre move its precious jewels to Bank of France following brazen heist? Here’s what report claims

Following the brazen heist last week, the Louvre has reportedly transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France. On Sunday (Oct 18), the world-renowned museum in Paris was struck with chaos after thieves broke in, robbing it of its priceless French imperial jewels in broad daylight, exposing the museum’s security vulnerability. The thieves managed to flee with eight other items with an estimated value of $102 million, including an emerald and diamond necklace that Napoleon I gave his wife, Empress Marie Louise.

French radio RTL reported, citing anonymous sources, that some precious items from the museum’s Apollo gallery, which was targeted in the recent robbery, were moved on Friday (Oct 24) under secret police escort. The Bank of France, which also stores the country’s gold reserves in a massive 27 metres (88 feet) underground vault, is located on the Right Bank of the River Seine, about 500 metres away from the museum.

No official statement regarding the moving of the French crown jewels has been given by the Louvre or the Bank of France.

Earlier on Wednesday (Oct 22), the director of the Louvre, Laurence des Cars, admitted that there was inadequate security camera coverage of the outside walls of the museum.

“Despite our efforts, despite our hard work on a daily basis, we failed,” des Cars told lawmakers in her first public statement since the robbery. She added that while all alarms had functioned during the heist, security cameras did not adequately cover the thieves’ point of entry.

“The only camera installed is directed westward and therefore did not cover the balcony involved in the break-in,” she said. “There are some perimeter cameras, but they are ageing.” Surveillance of the museum’s outside walls “is highly insufficient.”

Des Cars said she had tendered her resignation following the theft on Sunday, but the culture ministry had refused it. She also said that the 19th-century crown, which once belonged to Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, could be restored following an initial assessment. The crown was dropped by the thieves and found in a broken condition near the museum following the audacious theft.