Queen's bloomers sell for £4,500

The bloomers sold for almost 10 times their £500 guide price

A pair of bloomers that once belonged to Queen Victoria have been sold for £4,500 at an auction in Derby.

The knickers have a 50in (127cm) waist and date from the 1890s, which indicates the monarch had a large girth as she approached her old age.

It was thought the bloomers would fetch £500 but a Canadian buyer spent £4,500 on the pants which are monogrammed with VR for Victoria Regina.

The knickers had been owned by a lady-in-waiting to the Queen.

They had remained in the woman's Lincolnshire family until now.

'Very wide girth'

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: "These pants, considering their provenance and pedigree, are very exciting... we know that they are hers [Queen Victoria]."

Mr Hanson said the bloomers were an interesting piece of social history that indicated Queen Victoria was "a very big lady of quite small stature with a very wide girth".

The knickers are made from a fine cotton and are hand-made.

A chemise with a 66-inch (167cm) bust, which also belonged to the UK's longest-reigning monarch, sold for £4,000 while her nightdress went for £5,500 at the auction.