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Alexandra Kim, left, curator of the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection, and conservator Maria Jordan, right, hold a pair of bloomers and matching chemise, which once belonged to Britain's Queen Victoria, as they pose for the photographer at Kensington Palace, in central London, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009. The underwear, which has a 56-inch (142-centimeter) waist, has been added to Britain's Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Kensington Palace. It has a matching chemise, is embroidered with a 'VR' and is believed to date from the 1890s.

A set of roomy bloomers that once belonged to Queen Victoria are back in royal drawers.

The underwear — which has a 56-inch (142-centimeter) waist — has been added to Britain's Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection at Kensington Palace. The undergarments have a matching chemise, are embroidered with a "VR" and are believed to date from the 1890s.

Queen Victoria had a 20-inch (51-centimeter) waist as a young woman. But curator Alexandra Kim said Tuesday that "over the years, particularly having given birth to nine children, that changed entirely²."

The collection purchased the bloomers for 600 pounds ($993) earlier this summer. Kim said it's likely they were handed down to a servant after the monarch's death.

There are about 12,000 items in the collection, housed at Kensington Palace in London. It includes photographs, prints, sketches³, diaries — and famous outfits⁴.

Among the sartorial⁵ treasures are the tweed suit made for the 1981 honeymoon⁶ of Princess Diana, a safari⁷ suit sported by Edward VIII — later the Duke of Windsor — and a silk waistcoat worn by King George III before his death in 1821.

The collection has been recognized as being of national and international importance by Britain's Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, Historic Royal Palaces said in a news release.

Some of the 12,000 items — though not Victoria's bloomers — are on display. A 12 million pound ($19.8 million) project, to be completed by 2012, is intended to allow more of the collection to be displayed at Kensington Palace.

英国维多利亚女王曾穿过的一套灯笼裤如今又回到了王宫。

这条内衣裤日前被肯辛顿宫收藏，成为英国皇家礼服馆藏中的新成员。这条灯笼裤的腰围为56英寸（142厘米），还有一件配套的宽松内衣，内衣裤上还绣有“VR”的字样。经认定，这些衣物的历史可追溯到19世纪90年代。

维多利亚女王年轻时的腰围为20英寸（51厘米）。但据藏馆馆长亚历山大•金于本周二介绍，“随着年龄的增长，特别是在生了九个小孩后，女王的身材完全变了。”

该藏馆于今年夏天早些时候花了600英镑（合993美元）买下了这条灯笼裤。金说这套内衣裤可能在女王去世后留给了一个仆人。

英国皇家礼服馆藏共有约1.2万件藏品，存放在伦敦的肯辛顿宫。这些藏品包括照片、印刷品、素描、日记，还有名贵礼服。

在这些缝制的珍贵藏品中，有1981年为戴安娜王妃蜜月定制的花呢套装，有爱德华八世（也就是后来的温莎公爵）穿过的一套狩猎服，还有国王乔治三世1821年在他去世前曾穿的一件丝质马甲。

历史皇家宫殿在一个新闻发布上说，这些藏品已被英国图书史馆认定为具有国家和世界级意义的文物。

这1.2万件藏品中的其中一部分目前正在展出，不过维多利亚女王的灯笼裤不在其中。目前正在进行的一项耗资1200万英镑（1980万美元）的工程于2012年完成后，肯辛顿宫将能展出更多的藏品。

Vocabulary:

roomy:spacious（宽松的；宽大的）

bloomers:灯笼裤

chemise: a woman's loose, shirtlike undergarment （女性用的）无袖宽松内衣

sartorial: of or relating to a tailor, tailoring, or tailored clothing （缝纫的）

safari: an overland expedition, especially one for hunting or exploring in eastern Africa 非洲的（狩猎）旅行

sport: to wear proudly 夸耀地穿戴（Summer or winter he sports a white suit. 不论冬夏，他都惹人注目地穿着一身白色西服。）