Louvre Museum Director Resigns Months After October's Brazen French Crown Jewels Heist

Last Updated:February 25, 2026, 08:59 IST

The resignation follows intense scrutiny of the museum’s security after thieves stole jewellery worth an estimated €88 million in an October raid.

The director of the Louvre Museum in Paris resigned on Tuesday, months after the high-profile October theft of France’s crown jewels exposed major security gaps at the world’s most visited museum.

Laurence des Cars submitted her resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, whose office said he accepted it and praised the decision as “an act of responsibility at a time when the Louvre needs “calm" and new momentum for security upgrades, modernisation and other major projects, according to a statement from his office.

The resignation follows intense scrutiny of the museum’s security after thieves stole jewellery worth an estimated €88 million in an October raid that shocked France and the international art world.

Crown Jewels Heist

In a brazen theft, thieves took less than eight minutes in October to steal crown jewels valued at 88 million euros (USD 102 million) from the Louvre, in a weekend operation that stunned visitors, exposing security lapses. Several suspects were later arrested, but the stolen pieces remain missing.

Des Cars, one of the most prominent museum directors in Europe, had offered to resign on the day of the robbery, but it was initially refused by the culture minister.

In remarks after the theft, she described the moment as a “tragic, brutal, violent reality" for the Louvre and said that, as the person in charge, it had felt right to offer her resignation.

Des Cars had led the Louvre since 2021, taking over one of the museum world’s most prestigious jobs as the institution emerged from the coronavirus pandemic and mass tourism returned.

(With agency inputs)

News world Louvre Museum Director Resigns Months After October's Brazen French Crown Jewels Heist

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