Thieves steal $500K in jewels from Paris apartment of French actress and her prince husband

Paris -- Paris thieves made off with an estimated half a million dollars' worth of jewels in the burglary of a high society French couple last week, according to reports.

The Paris apartment of French actress Clotilde Courau and her husband Emanuele Filiberto, the Prince of Savoy, was burglarized on Friday.

The French newspaper “Le Parisien” and other media outlets reported that the actress and the Italian prince were not at home at the time of the burglary.

The French Brigade of Crime Repression (BRB) has opened an investigation into the theft. Paris police have issued a warning saying that, with Paris experiencing a heat wave, weather episodes like this “are a boon for burglars.”

Filiberto, a member of Italy's House of Savoy, is the only male-line grandson of Umberto II, the last King of Italy. Last year he called for the restoration of Italy’s monarchy and the establishment of a brand-new monarchy party to lead Italy.

Authorities say the ancient jewels of royal families have a well-known pedigree. At the couple's Rome wedding in 2003, Courau wore a tiara of pink topaz and diamonds that had belonged to Queen Maria Theresa of Sardinia.