Hilary Kay was wowed as she was presented with a pair of Queen Victoria’s knickers on Antiques Roadshow (Image: BBC)
viewers were stunned on Sunday when a guest presented Queen Victoria’s undergarments for valuation at Salisbury Cathedral. Because of the FA Cup’s schedule overrun on One, which featured ‘s elimination by Fulham, the episode was unexpectedly shifted to Two. Ahead of the show, a statement announcing the scheduling change was released. The programme’s host, , was back on the scene, along with experts prepared to value the various items guests brought along.
During a particularly memorable segment of Sunday’s episode, Hilary Kay, a specialist, was astounded to examine a pair of Queen Victoria’s underwear. She discussed with the guest the remarkable story of how the drawers, previously the property of the late British monarch, were obtained. Hilary Kay elaborated: “We are looking at a very fine pair of Queen Victoria’s knickers. This is Victoria’s Secret and a rather big secret too. Back in the family a number of generations there was a baronetcy and they clearly worked in circles of other titled individuals.”
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The undergarments belonged to Queen Victoria (Image: Getty)
The guest shared that her great-grandmother had been gifted the knickers by one of Queen Victoria’s maids of the bedchamber.
Kay explained: “Queen Victoria gave away her intimate apparel as tokens of friendship. They’re made of an incredibly fine linen. If you look at those stitches, it’s as though it has been stitched by a mouse. They were stitching for their queen,” reports .
She added: “This is a fabulous pair of what is known as open drawers. Extraordinary rarity, I have to say.”
The undergarments featured the number 23, sparking the guest’s curiosity about its potential meaning.
The expert explained: “The number of course is significant but we’re not absolutely sure what the significance is. It may be something as simple as knowing there were 23 pairs and when they were washed you got 23 pairs back again. Somebody somewhere knows exactly the reason behind the numbering system.”
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Queen Victoria’s knickers were valued on Sunday’s Antiques Roadshow (Image: BBC)
The guest was astounded, exclaiming “Oh my goodness” upon hearing the expert’s valuation of the knickers at no less than £12,000. The expert elaborated: “There’s been a huge amount of revived interest in Queen Victoria. I have to tell you that the last pair I saw at auction fetched £16,000.”
Confidently, the expert added, “I’d have no hesitation in valuing these at around that figure. I’m going to go a little bit below, maybe £12,000 – £16,000. It’s a huge sum of money but it really is a reflection of the regard in which Queen Victoria is held today.
“Thank you so much for bringing them in,” the expert concluded, as the guest laughed incredulously: “For a pair of knickers.”
Antiques Roadshow airs Sundays at 7pm on One.