A pair of knickers thought to have belonged to Queen Elizabeth II have sold for an impressive £11,390 ($17,263), just a few days ahead of the Royal Diamond Jubilee.

The Queen's knickers once belonged to "the Hugh Hefner of Miami"

The regal undergarments were sold on May 22 through Ebay, having been posted by the family of Baron Joseph de Bicske Dobronyi. Dobronyi, better known as "Sepy", has been described as an aristocrat, art collector, traveller and playboy.

The bloomer-style knickers were purportedly picked up by a pilot after being left on a private aeroplane during the Queen's visit to Chile in 1968. The pilot then gifted them to Dobronyi, who has kept them in his private collection since.

The underwear was finely crafted from silk and crocheted lace and featured an embroidered "E" along with the Royal Crown cipher. Buckingham Palace has refused to confirm the pair as genuine.

Believe it or not, the royal knickers aren't the first to come up for sale. The £11,390 sale beats the price achieved by a pair of Queen Victoria's bloomers in 2011 and is believed to be a new world record for royal underwear at auction.

PFC Auctions saw two royal records of its own last week, when a piece of Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding cake beat the previous record by 16.2% and the very first piece of cake from Kate and Wills' marriage brought £1,917.

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee is set to boost the value of royal memorabilia even further over the coming months. Paul Fraser Collectibles has a fantastic collection of royal items here, including a superb letter written and signed by Princess Diana.