QE2's Bloomers Up For Sale

A PAIR of silk knickers allegedly owned by the Queen have been put up for sale on eBay, and, with seven days left for the auction to run, have already attracted bids of $5,200.

The underwear is being sold by the estate of Baron Joseph "Sepy" de Bicske Dobronyi, described as an aristocrat, art collector, traveller and bon vivant.It is alleged the bloomer-style knickers, which have not been confirmed as authentic, were left on a private jet during the Queen’s visit to Chile in 1968.There, it is claimed, they were picked up by the pilot and given to his friend, Hungarian-born Dobronyi, who died in 2010.The listing warns: “Since Buckingham Palace or the garment maker have not confirm or deny the authenticity that this pair of underpants are from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the estate cannot confirm its provenance and it is the buyer’s responsibility to do that on their own before bidding. In either case this is an excellent example of a vintage undergarment of that era and very collectable.”Last year, a pair of knickers owned by Queen Victoria fetched £9,375 (€11,000) at a British auction house.