PARIS -- PARIS (AP) — The glittering sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds that once adorned France's royals could well be gone forever, experts say after a brazen, four-minute heist in broad daylight left the nation stunned and the government struggling to explain a new debacle at the Louvre.

Louvre Museum reopens after audacious art heist of 8 crown jewels. Director admits security failures, sparking debate over museum safety and government oversight.

The only camera monitoring the exterior wall of the Louvre where they broke in was pointing away from the first-floor balcony that led to Gallery of Apollo housing the jewels, she said. "We failed these jewels," she said, adding that no-one was protected from "brutal criminals - not even the Louvre".

A criminal group broke into the Apollo Gallery of the Louvre Museum in Paris, swiftly stealing nine invaluable pieces from the French Crown Jewels collection