Even though the royal family appears to have an insurance covering the jewels, officials stressed that their value could hardly be measured or replaced
Sweden’s royal family still regularly captures Europe’s attention with glamour, gossip – and the shiny crown jewels that are put on public display whenever the occasion merits it.
That particular part of the century-old tradition will become much more difficult now after at least some of the priceless Swedish crown jewels are no longer in the hands of the royal family. On Tuesday, two thieves stole one 17th century golden orb and two crowns from a cathedral near Stockholm where they had been on display in an alarm-locked glass box, before escaping by speedboat into the Mälaren lake that spans 120 kilometres and is filled with hundreds of small islands.
Even though the royal family appears to have an insurance covering the jewels, officials stressed that their value could hardly be measured or replaced.”It is not possible to put an economic value on this; it is invaluable items of national interest,” police spokesman Thomas Agnevik told Swedish media.
The crowns and orb are made of gold and enamel and encrusted with beads, crystals and pearls. Maria Ellior of the Swedish police’s National Operations Department told TT that the items are “impossible to sell.”
The subsequent manhunt has not yet resulted in any arrests and authorities appear to have few indications as to where the men may have escaped. The Associated Press reports officials have had no luck using a helicopter and boats to search for the thieves.
Sweden’s crown jewels haven’t been worn since the early 20th century and are mainly used just for display purposes these days. But all those displays, in addition to catching the eyes of thousands of visitors, seem to also have caught the attention of a number of thieves. In 2012, a friend of the royal family was convicted for stealing royal jewels worth more than $120,000, which he had purloined from a private apartment belonging to Princess Christina, the sister of King Carl XVI Gustaf.
At the time, the thief was only able to sell some of the stolen valuables, throwing the rest of the stolen goods off a bridge instead.
The two men behind this week’s theft may face similar challenges, officials hoped on Tuesday.
“What usually happens with this type of object is that they are recovered sooner or later, because there are very few people who are prepared to handle such items,” spokesman Agnevik was quoted as saying by Swedish media on Tuesday.
“We have high hopes of getting them back,” he said.
