Hortense de Beauharnais

Even before Napoleon became emperor, he was desperate for an heir, but by the turn of the century, his wife Josephine was in her late 30s and it seemed that no legitimate heir would ever result from the marriage.

While Napoleon adopted Eugene and Hortense, Josephine's children from her first marriage to the late Alexandre de Beauharnais, he was keen to continue the Bonaparte family name in one shape or another so that if no direct male heir arrived, he could establish a nephew to succeed him one day.

In January 1802, Napoleon arranged for his 18-year-old stepdaughter, Hortense, to marry his 23-year-old brother, Louis.

Napoleon could adopt the offspring from this union as his heirs in the event that Josephine could not provide him with a child.

In October 1802, the couple had their first son, Napoleon Charles, but the marriage between the depressive Louis and the vivacious Hortense proved an unhappy one.

Soon after the birth of a second son, confusingly called Napoleon Louis in October 1804, the couple began living apart.

A brief reconciliation following the death of Napoleon Charles in May 1807 resulted in the birth of the future Napoleon III the following April.

The young Charles Louis Napoleon soon came to be known as Louis Napoleon in contrast to his older brother, Napoleon Louis.

And Eugénie was kind of like, she was called, like, the influencer of her day.

And then these other weird kind of jewels that nobody ever paid any attention to, like the diamond-and-sapphire necklace and earrings worn by Queen Hortense and Queen Marie Amélie.

I have to tell you, I never even heard of Queen Hortense or Queen Marie Amélie before the s- jewels were stolen.

But they had nice jewelry.

These pieces were encrusted with thousands of diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds set in gold and silver chains and crowns, and they were stuffed into the thieves' bags as if they were worth nothing.

She was called, like, the influencer of her day.

And then these other weird kind of jewels that nobody ever paid any attention to, like the diamond and sapphire necklace and earrings worn by Queen Hortense and Queen Marie Amélie.

I have to tell you, I never even heard of Queen Hortense or Queen Marie Amélie before the s- jewels were stolen, but they had nice jewelry.

These pieces were encrusted with thousands of diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds set in gold and silver chains and crowns, and they were stuffed into the thieves' bags as if they were worth nothing.

The thieves' formula was simple but effective.

The French Ministry of Culture identified all of the missing jewels.

The sapphire set of Queen Marie Amélie and Queen Hortense, a tiara featuring 24 Ceylon sapphires and 1,083 diamonds, a matching necklace, and a single earring.

These pieces, combining brilliance and historical significance, dated back to the early 19th century and had adorned French royalty for generations.

The emerald set of Empress Marie-Louise, an emerald necklace originally gifted by Napoleon Bonaparte to his second wife, along with a pair of emerald earrings.