Audrey Hepburn said in the movie Sabrina, “Paris is always a good idea, they say.” But for Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, the sister of the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, this trip to Paris was anything but ideal. As a member of one of the world’s wealthiest families, worth INR 29 lakh crore ($350 billion), she was travelling on a TGV train, France’s high-speed intercity rail service, from Nice to Paris, when 11 of her Hermès bags were stolen.
Known as the queen of the art world and Chairperson of Qatar Museums and the Doha Film Institute, the philanthropist boarded a TGV on July 27, at Cannes station with her domestic worker. Aboard the train, heading to Paris Gare de Lyon, this well-heeled member of the Qatari royal family was on her way to watch the Olympics and cheer on the Qatari team. This year marks Qatar’s 11th consecutive appearance at the Games. The Emir of Qatar himself joined the excitement by attending the opening ceremony of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
As reported by Le Parisien, the Qatari princess noticed between 12:00 and 1:40 p.m. that the 11 Hermès bags, which contained “highly valuable personal effects”, had been stolen. The train made an unexpected stop at Toulon station for about twenty minutes, as officials conducted thorough searches. However, despite the search efforts, the thief and the stolen bags remain unaccounted for.
When Le Parisien inquired about the incident, the SNCF, national state-owned railway company, chose to remain tight-lipped. They declined to share statistics on baggage thefts, stating, “The SNCF is not responsible in the event of loss or theft. It is the passenger’s sole responsibility to monitor their baggage.”
The incident involving Princess Al Thani is not an isolated one during the Olympic Games. Authorities have received reports of at least five thefts from the Athletes’ Village. Among the affected is a Japanese rugby player who lost a wedding ring, a necklace and INR 2.71 lakh (€3,000) in cash. An Australian hockey team coach also reported that his bank card was stolen from his room overnight, leading to a loss of INR 82,000 (AUD 1,500) from his account, according to The Telegraph. To add to the list, the Australian cycling team shared that their bikes were also stolen.
