Knickers believed to be Queen Victoria’s found in pile of lace

A pair of undergarments, believed to have belonged to Queen Victoria, has turned up in Adelaide.

The undergarments were included in a bundle of lace sold at auction to local man Ben Pike.

Initially, he headed straight for the bin with the vintage underwear.

“They were just massive, they looked old and they looked pretty revolting,” Mr Pike told 9NEWS today.

But on closer inspection, Mr Pike found Queen Victoria's emblem embroidered on the drawers;  pinned to the back was a news clipping from 1978 about a pair of the Monarch's underwear selling for thousands of dollars.

"I thought 'hang on, I better have a look online'…and they seem to look identical to ones being sold in London,” Mr Pike said.

Costume historian Kay Inverarity examined the drawers and said it's “very likely” the pair did belong to Queen Victoria.

“The quality of the workmanship, the royal cypher is correct and the design of the garment,” he said.

In 2016, a pair of Queen Victoria's bloomers sold in the United Kingdom for around AU$29,000.

Mr Pike said he's also planning to put this pair on the market for a “royal price”.

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