A pair of Queen Victoria's silk bloomers (featuring a 45" waist) are to cross the block in the UK.

The early 1890s undies are coming to Chippenham Auction Rooms on July 11 with a valuation in excess of £800 ($1,250).

Queen Victoria's bloomers can achieve sensational sums at auction

Richard Edmonds of Chippenham Auction Rooms, told the Plymouth Herald: "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."

In the past pairs of Victoria's pants have sold for impressive sums at auction, with one lot realising £9,375 ($14,663) at Lyon & Turnbull in 2011. Another pair sold for £6,200 ($9,697) last year.

We expect this pair, which are offered in a similar condition, to sell for significantly over their estimate.

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