American Novelist and Husband Face Trial in France Over Stolen 18th-Century Shipwreck Gold
Eleonor “Gay” Courter and her husband Philip face possible trial in France for allegedly selling gold bars looted from the 1746 shipwreck Le Prince de Conty.
An 80-year-old American novelist, Eleonor “Gay” Courter, and her husband Philip are at the center of a French legal investigation over the sale of gold bars looted decades ago from the 1746 shipwreck of Le Prince de Conty. French prosecutors have requested the case be sent to trial, with proceedings likely in autumn 2026.
The ship, which sank off Brittany during a violent storm, was discovered in 1974 near Belle-Île-en-Mer. Soon after, the wreck was illegally plundered, with divers recovering gold bars and fine 18th-century Chinese porcelain. Official excavations ended after a storm scattered the wreck in 1985.
Investigations intensified after France’s underwater archaeology chief spotted five suspicious gold ingots listed for sale on a US auction site in 2018. The items were seized and returned to France in 2022.
Authorities allege Courter and her husband helped sell at least 18 gold bars—some via eBay—worth more than $190,000. The couple claims they were unaware of wrongdoing and that proceeds were intended for French diver Yves Gladu, who admitted to retrieving 16 gold bars over 40 dives but denies providing any to the Courters.
The couple was detained in the UK in 2022 and placed under house arrest. French investigators also named Annette May Pesty, a longtime acquaintance of the couple, as part of the case.
Courter, an author and film producer, has denied knowledge of illegal activity. Her lawyer emphasized the couple’s good faith, citing differences in US and French regulations regarding gold.
The investigation uncovers a tangled web of historical looting, international sales, and complex legal jurisdiction, raising questions about the stewardship and repatriation of cultural artifacts recovered from underwater sites.
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