A PAIR of Queen Victoria’s knickers are expected to have collectors from America and Russia flocking to Chippenham when they go up for sale at Chippenham Auctions Rooms in July.

The item will go up for auction along with a number of other rare examples of Victorian royal intimate apparel on July 11.

The pants, which auctioneer Richard Edmonds has dated using the tried-and-tested method of measuring the waistline, could sell for several thousand pounds.

They will be sold alongside nightdresses, stockings and hats worn by Queen Victoria and her third child Princess Alice.

The items of clothing come from Yesterday’s World, a museum in Sussex, and all bear the stamp ‘VR’, which is short for ‘Victoria Regina’.

The royal clothing is in excellent condition having been preserved in tissue paper in a temperature controlled storeroom.

Richard Edmonds, principal auctioneer at Chippenham Auction Rooms, said: “This is a particularly eclectic sale with a strong royal theme.

"Victorian royal clothing comes up for sale occasionally but rarely in this excellent condition.

"Items of Queen Victoria’s clothing were often given to members of the royal household, particularly after her death in 1901.

“There’s a lot more interest from abroad in this type of royal clothing than from UK collectors. The market in America and Russia is very strong so we could see lots of buying online or over the phone, or possibly in person at the auction rooms.

“We’ve been able to date the pants by measuring the waistband. As there’s such a good photographic record of Queen Victoria, it’s possible to calculate her waist measurement over time, so we know roughly when she would have worn items of this size.”

Other royal items in the sale include a set of replicas of the Crown Jewels and examples of royal memorabilia from the Victorian era right up to the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

In addition, the sale includes Victorian silverware, antique furniture and the propeller from a 1935 Gypsy 3 biplane.

In 2014, a pair of Queen Victoria’s bloomers sold at an auction house in Kent for £6,200.

The sale takes place on July 11 starting from 10am. Items will be available for viewing on July 9 between 4pm and 8pm, on July 10 between 10am and 7pm and on July 11 from 8.30am.

For more information on the auction please contact Chippenham Auction Rooms on 01249 444544 or visit their website.