Bridget's knickers up for sale

They are arguably the most famous pants in cinema history - and they go under the hammer next week.

Bridget Jones's enormous knickers, memorably held aloft by Renée Zellweger, are being auctioned to raise money for London's Royal Parks.

While the connection might not be immediately obvious, a number of scenes in the second film based on the famous diaries, The Edge Of Reason, were filmed in the parks.

But how exactly did the Royal Parks Foundation manage to obtain the outsize knickers which prompted the exclamation: "Hello, Mummy!" from Hugh Grant's caddish character?

The Evening Standard can reveal that strings were pulled. The foundation's trustees include environmentalist Zac Goldsmith. His sister is Jemima Khan, who is dating Grant.

He has signed the knickers with a special message: "Hello Mummy! Lots of love and kisses, Hugh Grant xxxx."

Grant played Bridget Jones's sleazy lover, Daniel Cleaver, who uttered the immortal words - and several unprintable expletives - while undressing Zellwegger's Bridget.

She had been agonising about whether to wear skimpy, sexy knickers or the rather more substantial pair that would hold in her curves.

Although she was mortified, he was very amused: "Now these are very silly little boots, Jones. And this is a very silly little dress. And, um, these are... absolutely enormous panties. No, no. Don't apologise. I like them. Hello, Mummy! I'm sorry, I have to have another look. They're too good to be true.".

Fast forward to one of the sequel's funniest moments, the fight where clean-cut Mark Darcy nearly drowns Cleaver in a fountain. This is in Kensington Gardens, a few hundred yards from where next Thursday's auction will be held.

Thursday's Party Belle Epoque, an art nouveau extravaganza, aims to raise around £100,000 for the foundation which supports the capital's eight Royal Parks.