Thieves raid the Paris home of a Saudi princess and steal £500,000 in high end goods including Hermes bags worth £20,000 and a Cartier watch
- The 47-year-old royal had not been to the apartment since August this year
- The unnamed princess was reportedly hospitalised in a state of shock after discovering the theft of items including bags, watches, jewellery and furs
- A man who had been staying in the flat since August is reportedly a suspect
- It is the latest in a string of high-value thefts seen in Paris over the last few years
Thieves have raided the Paris home of a Saudi princess, making off with almost £550,000 worth of high-end goods.
A source close to the case said the 47-year-old princess had not set foot in the apartment since August but discovered upon returning that bags, watches, jewellery and furs worth were missing.
The princess was reportedly hospitalised in a state of shock and is yet to speak to police.
The robbers appeared to have entered the apartment, which is near the swanky Avenue George V in the heart of Paris, without force, according to the source.
Almost £550,000 worth of high-end goods have been stolen from a Saudi princess’s home in Paris near the city’s chic Avenue George V
Among the bounty were around 30 Hermes bags worth between 10,000 and 30,000 euros each, a Cartier watch, jewellery and fur items.
Prosecutors have opened a formal investigation which will be handled by the Paris police’s special anti-gang unit.
Reality star Kim Kardashian (pictured) was the victim of a high-profile robbery in Paris in October 2016. The city has seen a rise in thefts targeting affluent areas in recent years
Le Parisien newspaper reported that an early suspect was a man who had been staying at the princess’s apartment since August.
A spare set of keys to the princess’s home had gone missing, the paper added.
The theft is the latest in a long line of high-value thefts in the French capital.
In October, a watch worth more than £700,000 was stolen from its owner’s wrist outside a hotel.
The incident was the 71st high-end watch theft in Paris that year.
Reality star Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint by armed men while staying in Paris for fashion week in 2016.
The men stole a jewellery box with contents worth £5.24 million and a ring worth £3.5 million.
Thieves in the city are known to target affluent areas with luxury shops and accommodation, particularly in the city’s chic 8th arrondissement – where the Saudi princess’s flat is located.
Forbes reported that the area recorded four thefts on the same day in July last year.