One of Queen Victoria's secrets is out – she wore rather big bloomers – and a chemise to match.
A pair of her bloomers sold for £4,500 at an auction in Mackworth, Derby today - exceeding all expectations.
The monarch's modest cotton drawers, monogrammed with a tiny VR (for Victoria Regina), attracted bids from as far afield as Brazil, Russia, Hong Kong and New York.
After intense bidding they finally went to a "lady of leisure" from Canada, according to auctioneer Charles Hanson.
"The atmosphere was electric and I am delighted that Victoria had been given a good send-off," he said.
The auction showed that the queen was very curvy indeed towards the end of her life. The regal knickers, dating from the 1890s, have a waist measuring 50 inches (127cm).
She had quite a cleavage too: a chemise with an impressive 66-inch (168cm) bust was snapped up by a collector from London for £3,800.
It seems the queen was as short as she was stout - her nightdress, measuring a mere 50 inches from shoulder to hem, sold for £5,200 to an American collector.
Her Majesty's underwear had been kept by one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting and was sold by a family from Lincolnshire, who are said to be "delighted" with the outcome.
The queen, however, may not have been amused.
