A shocking museum heist in Vienna has seen a priceless necklace once owned by Egypt’s Queen Nazli stolen from a major exhibition, with Austrian police searching for two men suspected of carrying out the daring theft.
The stolen necklace is made of platinum and reportedly contains 673 diamonds weighing around 200 carats in total. The historic jewellery was on loan to Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) as part of a major exhibition celebrating the heritage of French luxury jewellery house Van Cleef & Arpels.
Austrian authorities have released images of two suspects captured by security cameras and are appealing to the public for information that could help identify them.
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How the Egyptian queen’s necklace was stolen
According to Austrian police, the two men entered the museum after purchasing tickets to the exhibition.
The alleged theft occurred during opening hours on Thursday afternoon while visitors were inside the museum.
Investigators said the suspects smashed a glass display case with a hammer before removing the valuable necklace and escaping from the building.
Police said the men fled in an unknown direction immediately after taking the jewellery.
Officers launched a search operation in central Vienna and reportedly deployed a police tracking dog in an attempt to locate the suspects.
Austrian newspaper Kronen reported that investigators are examining the possibility that the theft was a carefully planned contract job carried out on behalf of a criminal gang.
No injuries were reported in connection with the incident.
Necklace has royal Egyptian history
The stolen necklace has a remarkable connection to Egypt’s royal family.
Museum documentation states that the necklace once belonged to Queen Consort Nazli of Egypt.
Nazli was the wife of King Fuad I and became an important figure in Egypt’s royal history before the monarchy was abolished in 1953.
The necklace reportedly gained further historical significance when Queen Nazli wore it during the 1939 wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia, to Iran’s then Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi later became the Shah of Iran.
The jewellery therefore represents not only considerable financial value but also an important connection between the royal families of Egypt and Iran.
Necklace sold for $4.3 million
The necklace had previously attracted international attention when it was sold at Sotheby’s in New York in 2015.
It reportedly fetched $4.3 million at auction, highlighting the extraordinary value attached to the historic piece.
Its combination of precious materials, diamonds, royal provenance and association with major historical figures made it one of the most notable pieces featured in the Vienna exhibition.
The latest theft has therefore raised concerns about the security of valuable cultural and historical objects displayed in European museums.
Museum exhibition temporarily closed
The necklace was part of an exhibition that had been running at the Museum of Applied Arts since June.
The exhibition featured more than 300 works connected to Van Cleef & Arpels, bringing together pieces from the museum’s collection and items from the luxury jewellery company’s heritage collection.
The MAK described the exhibition as containing around 200 “unique and rarely seen objects” covering approximately 120 years of the jewellery house’s history.
Following the theft, the museum temporarily closed the exhibition.
A guided tour scheduled for Friday afternoon was also cancelled.
The exhibition had originally been scheduled to remain open until September 27.
Police appeal for information
Austrian authorities are continuing their investigation and have released surveillance images of the suspected thieves.
Members of the public who may have information about the suspects or their movements have been urged to contact police.
Investigators are also examining how the men were able to enter the exhibition, break the display case and escape with such a valuable piece during opening hours.
The case comes amid growing concerns about the security of museums and cultural institutions across Europe.
Growing museum theft problem in Europe
The Vienna robbery is the latest in a series of thefts and attempted robberies targeting valuable cultural objects.
In Spain, thieves reportedly targeted the Treasure of Villena, a collection of Bronze Age gold artefacts regarded as one of Europe’s most important prehistoric hoards.
Earlier this month, four significant works by 15th-century Renaissance painter Antonello da Messina were reportedly stolen from a museum in the Sicilian city of Messina.
Italian authorities have also recently recovered three paintings by Paul Cézanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri Matisse that had previously been stolen from a private museum near Parma.
A recent Europol report warned that museum robberies across Europe are becoming increasingly violent, with criminals using heavy tools and weapons to target valuable cultural objects.
The theft of Queen Nazli’s diamond necklace has once again highlighted the challenge facing museums that hold priceless works of art, jewellery and historical artefacts.
For Austrian investigators, the priority now is to identify the two suspects and recover the extraordinary piece before it disappears into the international criminal market.
For more information about the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna, visit the official MAK website.
