A pair of Queen Victoria's silk bloomers have sold for a record £12,090 ($18,768) at Chippenham Auction Rooms in Wiltshire, UK.

An English collector made the final bid on the unusual lot in the July 11 sale.

Queen Victoria's bloomers have increased in value in recent years

It had initially been valued in excess of just £800 ($1,200).

Richard Edmonds,a spokesman for the auction house, told the Plymouth Herald prior to the sale: "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…

"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."

In the past, other examples of Queen Victoria's underwear have sold for major sums, with one specimen making £9,375 ($14,663) at Lyon & Turnbull in 2011.

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