A PAIR of Queen Victoria’s knickers got collectors in a twist when they sold for a whopping £16,250 (US$21,402) at auction.

    The royal underwear had an estimate of just £3,000 but sent bidders into a frenzy and the garment made more than five times that, setting what is believed to be a new world record price at Christie’s in London.

    The sizeable pants are believed to date from the late 1800s, towards the end of the monarch’s life, when she had a much larger girth than earlier in her reign.

    The simple linen underwear may look too plain for royalty, but they were made exclusively for the queen and bear her emblem — VR, short for Victoria Regina, embroidered beneath a crown.

    The number 36 is also stitched beneath the emblem, which is believed to refer to the batch number.

    Known as “split drawers,” the drawstring waist undergarment has an open crotch, which was popular in Victorian times so women with heavy dresses could go to the toilet without having to take any clothing off.

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

    The previous record was a pair of cotton drawers that fetched £12,090 at auction in Chippenham, Wilts, in July last year.

    Nic McElhatton, chairman at Christie’s South Kensington salerooms, said, “We have seen pairs of Queen Victoria’s underwear come up at auction in the past but I have never had a price like that before.”(SD-Agencies)