Sri Lanka, Oct. 25 -- France has been shaken by one of the most spectacular museum robberies in recent memory - a daylight Louvre heist that stripped the nation of priceless royal jewellery worth more than8 million (around Rs. 31 billion).

The theft, executed in just seven minutes by four masked men, targeted jewels once worn by emperors and queens - treasures that art recovery expert Arthur Brand has called a "national disaster" for France.

"These are not just diamonds and gold," Brand told international media. "They are the pride of France - the jewels of Napoleon, his wife, and his successors."

Yet, for Sri Lankans, this story glitters with a surprising connection - one of the stolen tiaras was studded with Ceylon sapphires, linking...