Overview
- Hampshire Constabulary confirmed two 19th-century altar plaques stolen in 2014 from St Michael’s Abbey have been recovered and returned for restoration.
- Antiques dealer Paul Gostelow contacted police on February 10 after recognizing a ball-and-crown Napoleonic motif he recalled from the TV series Lovejoy.
- The International Stolen Arts Register helped verify the items, and heritage crime specialist PC Mark Webb oversaw their retrieval in Derbyshire.
- Police say several lines of inquiry are active to locate the third missing plaque, which has not yet been found.
- The wooden prayer frames were created by Empress Eugénie from prayers found on her son after his death; one outlet reports a possible Army link in their discovery, which authorities have not confirmed.