A violin believed to have been played by the Titanic's bandmaster has sold for €1.2 million euro, including fees, at an auction in Devizes in Wiltshere. The price is over three times the estimated sale price.

English violinist Wallace Hartley played the violin during the liner's last hours as the band played hymns instead of trying to save themselves during the disaster. The instrument was found with the bandmaster's body, two weeks after the sinking.

The auction house, Henry Aldridge and Son, spent over six years verifying the violin's authenticity, using police forensic techniques and consulting Oxford University research. The auction house has described the instrument as the "holy grail" of Titanic memorabilia.