Only the bloomin' rich will be in with a chance of nabbing a pair of knickers that belonged to Queen Victoria when they are auctioned later this month in Kent.

The large silk bloomers, with a whopping 52" waist, will be up for grabs alongside a pair of silk stockings and a chemise with a colossal 66" bust that also belonged to Britain's longest reigning monarch.

The bloomers will be the star attraction when the items go under the hammer at Westenhanger Auctioneers, between Ashford and Hythe, and based on the sale of another pair of Queen Vic's knicks a few years ago, auctioneer Michael Hogben thinks the fancy pants could fetch up to £10,000.

He said: "We expect the bloomers to fetch between £1,000 and £2,000 but another similar pair sold in Scotland a few years ago for almost £10,000 so you never know. On the other hand there's no reserve on them so they could go for £500.

"The items are very large - she wore them towards the end of her life when she had eaten a lot more than most people could afford to.

"They are from about 1890. When Queen Victoria died she gifted a lot of her under-linen to her loyal servants. These bloomers have been in a Kent family for more than 80 years.

"They brought them along to a charity valuation day we held in aid of Guide Dogs. When they said they had a pair of Queen Victoria's bloomers we didn't believe it at first but they feature her emblem and there's a number 36 on them, which was the laundry batch.

"These are some of the most interesting items I've auctioned in my 40-year career and it will be fascinating to see what they fetch."

Other items being auctioned at the Westenhanger railway station in Stone Street, Westenhanger, from 11am on Sunday, October 12 include vintage wines and champagnes, art, jewellery and props from 1970s television show The Professionals.