The case

Theft of china and silverware at the Elysée Palace: head butler and accomplices on trial

Around one hundred pieces including Sèvres porcelain, Baccarat glasses and silverware have disappeared from the Elysée Palace inventory and re-emerged online

22 December 2025

Palazzo dell'Eliseo, residenza ufficiale del Presidente francese, a Parig. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/File Photo

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Objects used at state receptions - Sèvres porcelain, Baccarat glasses, copper saucepans, a Lalique statuette - slipped out of France's most heavily guarded palace and ended up on the digital market. The investigation into the Elysée Palace's head butler, accused of having stolen around a hundred pieces, comes as the country is already shaken by a sequence of thefts in iconic institutions, from the Louvre to other Parisian museums.

An 'inside job' in the president's house

According to the Paris Prosecutor's Office, three people will appear at trial for the disappearance of silverware and crockery from the Palais de l'Élysée, the official residence of the President of the Republic. The estimated value of the missing objects is between EUR 15,000 and EUR 40,000. For the magistrates, this was not an intrusion from the outside but an action related to access and knowledge of those who work daily in the halls and storerooms of the palace.

The argentier, the one who knows inventories and habits

At the centre of the investigation is a 'silverware keeper/argentier', i.e. the figure in charge of managing and guarding service and representation items. Reuters identifies the main defendant as Thomas M. (shortened name for French practice) and reports that with him was arrested his partner Damien G., while a third man, Ghislain M., is suspected of receiving stolen goods.

The Discovery

The breakthrough stemmed from an internal report, with the chief steward of the Elysée Palace noticing the shortages and reporting them. At that point, some items would have been recognised online and this made it possible to link the disappearances to a sales channel on Vinted, a second-hand platform. A detail that is not insignificant, given that in 2025 a part of the 'parallel' market will no longer pass only through antique dealers and traditional intermediaries, but through sites and apps that make the sale easy, quick and potentially difficult to monitor in real time.

Not just any pieces

The list of recovered objects gives the measure of the symbol. Copper pots, Sèvres porcelain, Baccarat glasses and a statuette by René Lalique. Not just any pieces, but brands that in France refer to historical manufactures and a State aesthetic: the ceremonial table, official visits, diplomacy. This is why the magistrates qualify the goods as heritage, with a stricter system of sanctions.

The search

Approximately one hundred items were recovered by investigators in places in the possession of the main suspect, from the locker to the vehicle and the house. The point, for the prosecution, is thatthe material would not have been stolen at once, but in several episodes, with a progressive accumulation. The recovery of almost all the loot reduces the immediate economic impact, but not the institutional one, since the theft took place where there should be maximum control.

The method

Prosecutors believe that the man was somehow arranging further embezzlements, including by managing 'shrinking' inventories. The idea is that internal bookkeeping - if not checked by cross-checking audits - could become part of the cover-up: when the list thins 'naturally', the disappearance of other pieces makes less noise.

The role of accomplices

On the one hand, the alleged material perpetrator (the Elysée employee), on the other hand, a network that allegedly helped to place or keep them. The partner would also be involved in the affair because of his connection to the world of online sales, while the third man is accused of receiving stolen goods.

The charges and penalties

The suspects are charged with theft of "movable property classified as part of the French national heritage" and aggravated receiving stolen goods. If convicted,the maximum sentence for the main offence can be up to 10 years in prison and a fine of 150,000 euro.

The precautionary measures

While awaiting the trial - set for February 2026 - the three defendants have been placed under judicial supervision, with restrictions aimed at preventing repetition and the contamination of evidence: a ban on mutual contact, restrictions on the use of auction platforms and, in some cases, suspension or restriction of professional activity. In the meantime, the Louvre temporarily suspended the employee named as an alleged fence.