We might all take comfort in the fact that our underwear is a private matter, but some historical figures don't have that luxury.

Queen Victoria's royal knickers will be on very public display when they are put up for auction next week. You might be surprised by what the royal wore beneath her petticoats.

Victoria's (original) secret was keeping things quite simple; the cotton underwear had a simple "VR" monogram. The waist measures roughly 45 inches.

The undergarment will be auctioned off at Yesterday's World museum in Sussex, and are expected to fetch around £6,000 ($9,357).

Auctioneer Richard Edmonds told BBC that once the waistband of the garment was measured, they were able to discern that the pants were from the last 10 years of her life. "As there's such a good photographic record of Queen Victoria, it's possible to calculate her waist measurement over time, so we know roughly when she would have worn items of this size," Edmonds said.

That would make the knickers roughly 125 years old. You wouldn't be able to tell, though — as Edmonds says, they are in "excellent condition."

Victoria held the throne from 1837 until her death in 1901. Snaps for keeping her lingerie in such good shape.