Someone once said, “Paris is always a good idea.” It sure is, except for the sister of the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. This royal member, Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al-Thani hails from one of the most affluent families worldwide (worth $350 billion) was traveling on a TGV train from Nice to Paris when her valuables were stolen. Imagine the Sheikha’s horror when she realized that not one or two, but eleven Hermès bags were stolen on that fateful Saturday morning, the 27th of July.
The philanthropist known as the undisputed queen of the art world and is the Chairperson of Qatar Museums, Doha Film Institute, was traveling with her domestic worker and boarded a TGV at Cannes station. The train, coming from Nice, was due to go to Paris Gare de Lyon, where this well-heeled member of the Qatari royal family planned to watch the Olympics and cheer the Qatari team after her vacation.
In fact, even the Emir of Qatar himself attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd Summer Olympic Games in Paris 2024. This year marks the nation’s eleventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics. The creative force of Qatar noticed around noon that eleven bags from the luxury brand Hermès had been stolen from her. While the loss of her personal belongings would have come as a shock to this prominent member of the royal family, it is admittedly even more surprising to find someone like the Sheikha present on a train without a posse of personal staff and devoid of a fancy private jet. Her bags apparently contained “highly valuable personal effects,” according to information from Le Parisien. The luxury label is known for its expensive accessories, and keeping royal taste in mind, the handbags would have been top-notch examples made of the finest materials.
Via Instagram / @almayassabnthamad
Moreover, they contained valuables that far exceeded the price of the bags, perhaps watches and jewelry worth millions. As expected, the train was halted and checked thoroughly for about twenty minutes at Toulon station. The action wasn’t enough to retrieve either the eleven bags or nab the thieves. The damages to Sheikha Mayassa Al Thani are also unknown, but it is safe to say the loss would be monumental.
On being questioned by Le Parisien, the SNCF stated, “The SNCF is not responsible in the event of loss or theft. It is the passenger’s sole responsibility to monitor their baggage.” Team Qatar is set to play beach volleyball and shooting on July 29th and August 1st, which should help distract the dejected royal from her recent losses. Perhaps a win would put a smile on the the face of the 14th daughter in the Qatar royal family and make up for the lost Hermès collection.
Update – Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani, the chairperson of Qatar Museums, has refuted the above incident as fake. She took to social media to clear the air about her being the victim of a robbery aboard the TGV in Paris. It should be noted that while the French media, which included outlets like Le Figaro and Le Parisien, reported the woman in question as the sister-in-law of the Qatari Amir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Luxurylaunches was the only publication that correctly identified the royal and is glad to learn that she was not involved in any unfortunate incident.
