The Louvre Museum has said the crown of French Empress Eugénie was left badly crushed but largely intact after it was dropped by thieves during a high-profile jewellery raid last October. Although raiders stole jewels worth an estimated €88 million, they abandoned the diamond-studded crown on their escape route. The museum has now released the first images of the damaged crown, confirming it can be fully restored.

According to the Louvre, the 19th-century gold crown was deformed when thieves attempted to pull it through a narrow hole cut into its glass display case. While one of the eight golden eagles adorning the crown is missing, it still holds all 56 emeralds and all but 10 of its 1,354 diamonds. Museum officials said restoration can be carried out without reconstructing the piece, under the supervision of an expert committee led by Louvre president Laurence des Cars.

The raid took place on 19 October, when thieves used a stolen vehicle-mounted lift to access the Galerie d’Apollon from a balcony near the River Seine. After cutting through a window and threatening guards, the gang broke into two jewellery cases and escaped within four minutes on scooters. Four suspects have been arrested, though authorities say the mastermind remains at large and several other stolen royal jewels have yet to be recovered.

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