Queen Victoria's nightwear to be sold at auction

A nightdress and chemise that belonged to Queen Victoria are expected to sell for thousands of pounds at an auction.

They were given to a maid who served the Royal Family in the 1880s and are currently owned by a former language school owner in Oxford.

Both garments' authenticity have previously been verified by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

The chemise is expected to fetch up to £5,000 and the nightdress is expected to sell for up to £6,000 on 7 December.

The "voluminous" nightdress and chemise were given to Hilary Aston, 79, by her aunt and uncle before they died.

Her uncle's family had employed staff, one of whom had worked for Queen Victoria.

It is thought that staff who left the Royal Family's employment were given gifts and that the maid was given the nightwear.

Auctioneer Charles Hanson said: "It's noted in Queen Victoria's journal that there was a method regarding the distribution of her discarded clothes.

"Such a process would have been carried out discreetly through personal staff."

The nightdress includes the Queen's cypher embroidered in white and is numbered. The chemise has an emblem relating to Queen Victoria under the arm.

"Though Queen Victoria was only 4ft 11ins (150cm) and petite when she became queen at 18, her waist expanded to 50 ins (127cm) over the decades - a fact underlined by the ample size of these floaty garments," Mr Hanson said.

Hansons, which hopes to sell the items on an online auction, has previously sold several items of Queen Victoria's clothing.

They include a pair of her bloomers, which sold for £4,500 in 2008.

A collection of her clothing and boots were sold for a hammer price of £16,500 in 2020.

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