Gloria von Thurn und Taxis: Thieves steal her wedding tiara

The theft of art from the famous Louvre in Paris also indirectly affected the German Princess Gloria von Thurn and Taxis. One of the valuable pieces of jewelry from the French crown treasure that a gangster quartet stole from the museum on Sunday is the tiara that Princess Gloria wore at her wedding in Regensburg in 1980. . Her daughter Elisabeth von Thurn und Taxis also confirmed the loss.

When Gloria, née Countess of Schönburg-Glauchau, married Johannes Fürst von Thurn und Taxis (1926–1990) in Regensburg, she received a gift from her father-in-law Karl August von Thurn und Taxis (1898–1992) for her big day: a pearl tiara with diamonds that was made in 1853 for the wedding of Emperor Napoléon III. (1808–1873) and Eugénie de Montijo (1826–1920).

In 1887, the French Crown Jewels were publicly auctioned in Paris to meet financial obligations of the state. The proceeds were intended, among other things, to help pay off the debts that arose after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. The tiara was then sold for 78,100 French francs.

Three years later he moved to the Thurn und Taxis family in Regensburg. Albert, eighth Prince of Thurn and Taxis (1867–1952), acquired it as a wedding present for his wife, Margarethe Klementine of Austria (1870–1955). She also wore it for her diamond wedding in 1950, when the couple celebrated 60 years of marriage together. The tiara remained in the Thurn und Taxis jewelry collection until 1992.

When Johannes von Thurn und Taxis died in 1990, his widow Gloria was faced with a huge challenge: she had to pay around 45 million German marks in inheritance tax. To raise this sum, she auctioned off part of her jewelry collection at the Sotheby’s auction house in Geneva in 1992, including the Napoleon tiara that she had worn on her wedding day.

At that time, according to “Bild,” Princess Gloria is said to have said pragmatically: “I don’t wear crowns that often. So why should I keep so many?” The tiara was bought at auction by the “Amis de Louvre” association for a reported 935,000 German marks and was then exhibited in the Louvre in the Galerie d’Apollon, where millions of visitors were able to admire it.

It was stolen there on Sunday along with other priceless crown jewels. According to French media, four perpetrators were said to have been involved in the brazen robbery. They are said to have reached the balcony at the Galerie d’Apollon via a freight elevator, broken windows there and fled with the valuable goods. In total, the thieves stole nine valuable pieces from the French crown treasury.