STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Three national treasures of Sweden — two crowns and an orb made for the funerals of King Charles IX and his wife, Christina the Elder, in the 17th century — have been stolen in an audacious midday theft from a cathedral near Stockholm. The two thieves smashed a showcase at the cathedral in Strangnas, a town on Lake Malar, on Tuesday, according to its dean, the Rev. “The stones applied to these crowns are not diamonds, they are rock crystals and pearls,” Mr. Lundgren said. “The worst thing that could happen is that these thieves do not fully understand what these objects are and their value and the importance of them. “These are not things that you can sell or show in Sweden or even Europe.

Source: New York Times August 01, 2018 16:41 UTC