A PAIR of Queen Victoria's cotton knickers with a 45in (114cm) waistband have fetched a record-breaking £12,090 at auction in Chippenham.

The pants were sold alongside nightdresses, stockings and hats worn by Victoria and her third child, Princess Alice.

All items of clothing, from the Yesterday's World museum in East Sussex, bear the stamp VR - short for Victoria Regina.

Auctioneer Richard Edmonds said the royal clothing is in "excellent" condition, having been preserved in tissue paper in a temperature-controlled storeroom.

Mr Edmonds, principal auctioneer at Chippenham Auction Rooms, dated the pants to the late 1890s by measuring the waistline - 45.5in.

The knickers were bought by an English woman who is a private collector.

She also purchased other items of royal clothing and a set of replica Crown Jewels for £5,500.

"We've had a lot of interest in this sale and the auction room was packed with buyers and interested spectators," Mr Edmonds said.

"This is a record-breaking price for Victoria royal intimate apparel.

"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.

"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 included in the sale were a set of replicas of the Crown Jewels and royal memorabilia from the Victorian era to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Victorian silverware, antique furniture and the propeller from a 1935 Gypsy 3 biplane also went under the hammer.

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