Them Be Some Pricey Undies

I just found this article online. Talk about (pricey) granny panties. Whoa.

The actual undies being modeled by someone named Samantha Rhodes. Bet she is glad they don't fit.

LONDON - A pair of Queen Victoria's bloomers, with a 50-inch waist (OMG!*), were snapped up for $9,000 by a Canadian buyer at a central England auction Wednesday.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said Queen Victoria's underpants belonged to "a very big lady of quite small stature with a very wide girth." She was said to be 5 feet tall. (*)

The handmade knickers — which date back to the 1890s — bear the monogram "VR" for Victoria Regina. They are open-crotch style (Queen Vicky, you little tramp, you), with separate legs joined by a drawstring at the waist, a popular style in the late Victorian era.

The royal drawers belonged to a family in western England whose ancestor was a lady-in-waiting for the queen.

"These pants, considering their provenance and pedigree (underwear have a pedigree?), are very exciting," Hanson said. "They are monogrammed and crested (this word could have been very, very wrong) and we know that they are hers."

Also up for auction was Queen Victoria's chemise, with a 66-inch bust (OMG AGAIN), sold for $8,000. Her nightgown sold for $11,000.

Before the auction, Hanson valued the underwear at $1,000, while the chemise and nightgown were valued at $600 each.

Queen Victoria lived from 1819 to 1901. She became queen at age 18 and was the U.K.'s longest-reigning monarch. Her reign is noted for both imperial expansion (and her own obviously..see undie size above!) and the decreasing political power of the monarch.

So this begs the question:

Who would spend THAT much money on some super duper big underpants? And why?