Victoria's Bloomers Fetch Thousands Of Pounds

A pair of bloomers once worn by Queen Victoria has sold for just under £10,000.

That was more than three times the reserve price put on them by auction house Lyon & Turnbull in Edinburgh.

The white silk undergarments went for £9,375, including a buyer's premium of 25% to an anonymous buyer. They were expected to fetch £3,000.

Also in the auction was an oil painting of Queen Victoria and her loyal servant John Brown, given to him by the monarch, which went for £145,250. That was also more than three times the estimate.

The bloomers were part of a vast collection of royal memorabilia owned by the Forbes family, the American publishing dynasty responsible for the Forbes Rich List.

The auction, which made £3m for the National Trust, was the third carried out on behalf of the Forbes family who decided to sell their London home, the Old Battersea House , two years ago.

It is currently on the market for £12m.

Among the famous guests who enjoyed the comforts of the 17th-century manor house were former US President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, and King Hussain of Jordan.

Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor also stayed there with her eighth and last husband, Larry Fortensky.

The four-poster bed they slept in was sold for more than £9,000.