Historic Queen Nazli Necklace Stolen From Vienna Museum
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A closeup of the necklace taken at the Grande Galerie de l’Evolution of the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris in 2020.
VIENNA, August 28 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — Two unidentified men stole a historic Van Cleef & Arpels diamond necklace from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts at approximately 14:00 on August 27, prompting an extensive police search.
The men entered the museum during public opening hours before one of them used a hammer to break the glass display case containing the necklace. They removed the piece and fled on foot toward the nearby Stadtpark.
Police spokesperson Anna Gutt said one suspect appeared to carry a real firearm, which he displayed without using. No one was injured. Vienna State Criminal Police Office investigators are examining surveillance footage and other evidence after police released images of the suspects.
The stolen platinum necklace is set with 673 diamonds totaling approximately 200 carats. It was displayed in Glanzstücke: Van Cleef & Arpels High Jewelry × Masterpieces from the MAK Collection, an exhibition bringing together approximately 500 objects from the jewelry house and the museum.
Left to right: Queen Farida and King Farouk of Egypt; Princess Fawzia and Crown Prince Mohamed, and Queen Mother Nazli, wearing the diamond necklace.
Queen Nazli of Egypt wore the necklace at the 1939 wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia, to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, then Iran’s crown prince and later its last shah. The necklace sold for $4.3 million at Sotheby’s New York in 2015, although police have not established its current value.
The affected exhibition was temporarily closed following the theft. “The theft of a high-value piece of jewellery by Van Cleef & Arpels has hit us hard. Especially considering the incidents at major museums in recent years, we took this as an opportunity to thoroughly review our own security measures at the museum in general,” MAK General Director Lilli Hollein said in a statement. “Together with our partner Van Cleef & Arpels, we then developed a plan specifically for this exhibition, took security issues very seriously, and carefully prepared all security measures. When this armed incident nevertheless occurred, our staff reacted calmly, followed the established procedures, and acted appropriately. Fortunately, no one was injured. That is the most important thing.”
Sources: Vienna Police, MAK, Sotheby’s, ORF
