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An extravagant gold and diamond necklace Napoleon reputedly gave his Polish mistress has emerged for sale for £12,000.

The lavish piece of jewellery is thought to have been a gift from the Little General to Maria Countess Walewska in 1810.

The receipt it was sold with reveals it was purchased on May 4, 1810, just six days before she gave birth to their lovechild.

Experts believe this could have been a present to mark the arrival of Alexandre Joseph.

At the time, the adulterous Frenchman had only just married the Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria.