Prince Napoleon Bonaparte, Countess Olympia Arco and a diamond theft The 40ct engagement ring.
The theft of a 40-carat diamond ring made the news and forced a discreet couple, Prince Jean Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte and Countess Olympia von und zu Arco Zinneberg, into the spotlight. But, what is the story behind this impressively big diamond? And who is this man who proposed with a diamond even bigger than Elizabeth Taylor’s 33.19-carat diamond ring?
Prince Jean Christophe Napoléon’s diamond
Prince Jean Christophe Napoléon Bonaparte is one of the three pretenders to the French throne. When he proposed to the Austrian Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg, he gave her an impressive diamond engagement ring. Certainly, the stunning gemstone was part of a diadem that belonged to the French Emperor Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenia. Besides being huge, this diamond ring has immense historical value.
The theft of Prince Napoleon and Countess Arco-Zinneberg’s diamond
The story of the diamond theft is almost as amazing as the ring itself.
Prince Napoleon works at an investment bank in London, and while in Paris with Olympia Arco, the couple had the diamond ring stolen. The engagement ring, valued at 1 million euros, credit cards, a laptop and documents were inside a bag. And they left the bag on the passenger seat of their car. However, they parked the car near the hotel where their parents were staying and didn’t lock it. When they came back to pick up the bag, it was gone. Consequently, the press-shy couple had to file a complaint at the police station.
Luckily, the police were able to recover and return the valuable diamond ring to Prince Napoleon and Countess Olympia Arco. As it turned out, the robber was not very bright. The hotel’s security camera caught him on film. Additionally, the thief used one of the stolen credit cards at a sushi restaurant and a nearby hotel. The police caught easily the 30-year old Egyptian thief who had no idea of the value of the now-famous ring!
The royal wedding
After Prince Harry and Meghan, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, and Lady Gabriella Windsor’s marriages, there was another big wedding. Prince Napoleon and Countess Olympia von und zu Arco-Zinneberg said yes in Paris. The royal wedding took place at Les Invalides, where the tomb of the groom’s ancestor, Napoleon Bonaparte, lies.
A bit more about the groom and bride
On his father’s side, the 32-year-old Prince Napoleon is a direct descendant of Jerome I Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte and King of Westphalia. Additionally, on his mother’s side, he is a descendant of the French “Roi Soleil”, Louis XIV.
The bride, Countess Olympia von Arco Zinneberg, is a great-granddaughter of Emperor Charles I of Austria, and niece of the King of Belgium.
This will be the second time the Napoleon family is linked to the Austrian dynasty; Napoleon Bonaparte married Archduchess Maria Luisa of Austria more than 200 years ago.
You may also like to know why rings with bulky gemstones are called cocktail rings.
SHARE
