Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Freddie Mercury: Queen star's friend Mary Austin to auction his personal treasures

Freddie Mercury: Queen star's friend Mary Austin to auction his personal treasures

One of Freddie Mercury's oldest friends is to auction an intimate collection of 1,500 items belonging to the late Queen star, including some of his handwritten lyrics and riotous stage costumes.

The singer built up the collection over 30 years and kept everything at his home in west London.

When he died in 1991, he left both the house and its contents to Mary Austin.

"The collection takes you deeper within the individual and the man I knew," Austin said.

Mary Austin with Freddie Mercury in 1986


Austin is sitting in the huge galleried drawing room, with a portrait by the French painter Tissot on the wall, which was the last work of art Mercury bought, a month before he died.

It was hung so Mercury could see it from the sofa. It is estimated to fetch between £400,000-600,000.

"You see the spectrum of his taste," said Austin, speaking exclusively to the BBC.

"It's a very intelligent, sophisticated collection."

The last work of art Mercury bought was this portrait by James Jacques Tissot (estimate £400,000-600,000)


A highlight of the sale will be Freddie Mercury's handwritten working lyrics to one of Queen's greatest anthems, We Are The Champions, including harmonies and chords, written across nine pages. They are expected to sell for £200,000-300,000.

The unseen working lyrics to Killer Queen, written on a single sheet of paper in black Biro in 1974, are expected to fetch £50,000-70,000.

Austin said the lyrics were particularly difficult to part with, because they show "for me, the most beautiful side" of the man she was devoted to.

"You're looking at the process of the artist, of work in progress," she added. "The crossings out, the rethinking, the reformatting."

Nineteen-year-old Austin had been out on a date with Queen's guitarist Brian May when she first met Mercury in 1970.

Queen in 1973, left to right: John Deacon, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and Brian May


They moved in together and remained close even after he told her he was gay. She cared for him as he became weaker after contracting an Aids-related illness.

Mercury once said of Austin: "I don't have that many people to turn to. And the only one, if we're talking about it, is Mary."

Naturally shy and self-effacing, Austin has rarely spoken in public since Mercury died.

But he is still a huge part of her life. "I miss the fun, the humour, his warmth, his energy," she reflects.

Mercury lived in Garden Lodge in Kensington


The house, Garden Lodge, in Kensington, has remained almost entirely as Mercury left it for three decades, complete with the antique furniture, artworks and glass he collected and the sumptuous fabrics he loved.

There are prints by Matisse and Chagall hung on the iridescent buttercup-yellow gloss-painted walls of the dining room and a portrait by Picasso which was displayed above the breakfast table in the kitchen.

In Mercury's kitchen hung Pablo Picasso's portrait of his wife (estimate £50,000 - 70,000)


"I like to be surrounded by splendid things," he once said. "I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter."

But now Austin has decided to sell the collection, "because I need to put my affairs in order," she explains.

Austin, 72, adds: "The time has come for me to take the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life."

And beyond a few "personal gifts" and photographs of the pair together, Mary Austin is selling everything.

"I decided that it wouldn't be appropriate for me to keep things back. If I was going to sell, I had to be brave and sell the lot."

Freddie Mercury's crown, a replica of St Edward's Crown worn by King Charles at the Coronation (estimate £60,000-80,000)


So Mercury's stage costumes will be sold, including sequinned catsuits, glittered shoes and the fake fur, red velvet and rhinestones crown and matching cloak he wore during his last tour with Queen in the 1980s.

He kept them in a mirrored-lined dressing room.

It is thought Freddie Mercury wrote and recorded Crazy Little Thing Called Love on this 1975 Martin D-35 Acoustic guitar (estimate £30,000-50,000)


There are personal items in the sale too. The telephone he kept beside his bed, a specially commissioned marble bar and matching bar stools, monogrammed cocktail napkins embroidered with a green F and a small silver moustache comb.

There is also his favourite waistcoat, worn in his final video These are the Days of Our Lives, in 1991.

The silk panels of red, green and purple are each hand-painted with one of Mercury's cats, Delilah, Goliath, Oscar, Lily, Romeo and Miko.

Freddie Mercury's favourite waistcoat (estimated to fetch £5,000-7,000)


All 1,500 items will go on display at Sotheby's in London in the summer in a sequence of specially designed galleries, devoted to a different aspect of Mercury's life, before they are sold in September.

The auction is expected to fetch in excess of £6m and some of the proceeds will be donated to charity.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Cardinal Robert Prevost Elected as Pope Leo XIV, Marking a Historic Papacy
India-Pakistan conflict may be first test for Chinese military tech
Bill Gates Announces Plan to Wind Down Philanthropic Foundation and Disperse Wealth
Historic Papal Conclave Set to Commence in Rome
“Trump Supporter” Aims to Bring a MAGA-Style Shift to Romania
Common Sense Returns to Britain's Legal System: UK Supreme Court Declares a Woman Is… a Woman
EU Hits TikTok with €530 Million Fine Over China Data Transfers
Beijing Says U.S. Is ‘Reaching Out’ for Tariff Talks Amid Soaring Trade Tensions
Warren Buffett to Step Down as Berkshire CEO After Nearly 60 Years
Trump Shares AI-Generated Image of Himself as… Pope, Prompting Outrage Reaction
Germany's Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party has now been officially labeled “right-wing extremist” by the federal office for the so-called “protection of the constitution.”
Amazon Launches Satellite Internet Service Amidst Competition with SpaceX
Transformative Changes in Women's Wrestling: The Rise of WWE Superstars
The Rush to the White Gold: Global Investment Surge in Natural Hydrogen Exploration
This is a day in Spain without electricity and internet
Trump Administration Removes National Security Adviser Mike Waltz Amid Signal Chat Controversy
U.S. Economy Shrink in Trump’s First Quarter as Tariff Policy Raises Questions
U.S. and Ukraine Poised to Sign Strategic Critical Minerals Deal Amid Geopolitical Shifts
Spain Restores Power After Unprecedented Nationwide Blackout
Liverpool Clinches Record-Equalling 20th English League Title Under Arne Slot
How do you fix this culture?
Corrupted from Within: How Deep State Power and Unelected Judges Hijacked Democracy Against the Will of the People
President Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky just held an impromptu discussion on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral in Rome.
World Leaders Gather in Rome for Pope Francis's Funeral
Pope Francis Laid to Rest in Rome as World Leaders Attend Funeral
Not Child’s Play: How Competitive Gaming Became a Global Economic Empire
California Surpasses Japan to Become the World’s Fourth-Largest Economy
Peter Navarro: The Man Behind Trump’s Tariff Madness
Former U.S. Congressman George Santos sentenced to eighty-seven months for wide-ranging fraud
Pope Francis: head of the Catholic church who pushed for social and economic justice
China do not pay these tariffs - you pay it. This is new 145% tax you pay to the US government.
Cultural Battles in the Vatican: The Candidates in the Battle for the Holy See and Pope Francis's Testament
Global Leaders Pay Tribute to Pope Francis Following His Death
Wild Chimpanzees Observed Bonding Over Alcoholic Fruit
Greek Christians Celebrate Easter in Thessaloníki
US Federal Reserve Chair Issues Warning on Tariff Impact
China, China, China!
Pope Francis Makes Brief Appearance at Easter Sunday Mass
Saudi Arabia Offers Max Verstappen Unprecedented Deal to Join Aston Martin
Global Pistachio Shortage Amid Rising Demand for 'Dubai Chocolate'
Trump is assembling a coalition of Western leaders aligned with the MAGA vision, strengthening a unified front for global change
IMF Predicts No Global Recession Amid Trade Tensions
Alphabet Faces Antitrust Setbacks as Federal Judges Rule Against Google
US Billionaires Call for Higher Taxes, but Proposed 'Millionaires Tax' May Not Achieve Desired Outcome
This is Vienna, Austria in 2025.
Designed in US, made in China: Why Apple is stuck in tariff tussle
Boeing Jet Returns to US from China Amid Tariff War
US Sets Deadline for Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal Brokerage
Italy Introduces 'Sex Rooms' in Prisons for Inmates
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni Meets with Donald Trump to Discuss EU-US Trade Tensions
×