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He was such a warm, special human being, really. He cared about everyone who worked for him, and would go out buying things – “he or she would so love that…” But it was always a meaningful gift. It was never a question of, I need to curry favour here. It was always to show appreciation. It was a difficult period, yes, for sure.’ She pauses. ‘We’d arrived at the point where he presented me with an engagement ring. I realise now, it was Christmas Day, so it was a gift, and mine to keep.
A few weeks later I met Austin again, in a conference room at Sotheby’s Bond Street auction room. She is a slightly built woman with a serene and thoughtful manner, who speaks in a quiet, hesitant voice. This September, the entire contents of the house will come up for auction at Sotheby’s in London – some 35,000 items in 1,500 lots that will be sold across six separate auctions. It is one of the biggest single-owner sales to come under the hammer in years, surpassed only by the sales of the collections of Elton John and Andy Warhol (both 1988) and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (1997). Continued Popularity: The timeless appeal of Freddie Mercury’s sunglasses endures, with enthusiasts seeking to replicate his iconic looks. Vintage-inspired eyewear brands offer sunglasses reminiscent of his signature styles, allowing fans to channel his inimitable charm and stage presence.
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Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin photographed in 1977. / Monitor Picture Library/Photoshot/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Mercury's former fiancée and forever friend Mary Austin received 50 percent of his wealth and future earnings upon his death. His parents received 25 percent and his sister received 25 percent as well. When Freddie’s parents passed away, their 25 percent reverted to Austin. 32. The location of Freddie Mercury’s ashes is super secret.
The property was built in 1908 for the painter Cecil Rea and his wife, the sculptor Constance Halford. Over the years, it was owned by Peter Wilson, the chairman of Sotheby’s, and the British intelligence operative Tomás Harris. When Mercury bought the house, it was owned by a member of the Hoare banking family.I think Shakespeare put it best in the sonnets: “Love is not love, Which alters when it alteration finds.” And that’s absolutely true. It is that journey. It’s not one I quite understood at the beginning, but when you read the sonnets and you reflect, you think, yes, that is love. It’s a wonderful emotion to feel, and a wonderful emotion to accept from another human being. But it took me a long time to understand that.’ The singer is seen showcasing his vocal range in his dressing room ahead of his last live concert with Queen and is even joined by Roger Taylor on camera for the impromptu performance. Performing in front of an crowd of 120,000, the August 9 concert at Knebworth Park was the final date of the band's highly successful Magic Tour and the last time the band would ever play with live with Freddie Mercury at the helm. He went to Ealing College of Art in 1966 - a hip joint whose alumni included Pete Townshend of The Who, and Ron Wood, guitarist with the Faces and later the Rolling Stones - and graduated with a Diploma in Graphic Art and Design in 1969. He lived in a rented flat in Kensington, and started a market stall with his new friend, Roger Taylor.
Austin and Mercury met in 1969. They lived together for six years until Mercury told her he thought he was bisexual. No, Austin told him, ‘I think you’re gay.’ It was the end of their romantic relationship, but not their friendship. So I did my studies, finished school, got my O Levels, got my A levels. I went to Imperial College, did three years and got a BSc Honours in physics, which had a fair bit of astronomy in it, and then I did four years post-graduate for the PhD in astronomy, but I never finished writing the thing up. I published a couple of papers with my supervisor, but thatʼs where I left it. And I donʼt regret leaving it. It was the right time.” The film covers a time period of more than a decade from the 1970’s to the 1980’s so there are numerous sunglasses worn throughout the movie as well as some pretty retro prescription eyewear frames too. But most prominently during the film we see Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury wearing some highly reflective mirrored Aviator style sunglasses. Queen literally enjoying a day at the races at Kempton Park in 1976 (Image credit: Michael Ochs archive) Mercury in his downtime between shows (left), with his cat Oscar (center) and at home in Garden Lodge (right) CREDIT: Courtesy of Sotheby'sBefore he died he said, “I’ve left you the house because you would have been the woman I would have married, and by rights this would all have been yours anyway,”’ Austin says. ‘What do you say? Well, OK…’ They lived together in a series of Kensington flats for the next six years. But by 1975 things were beginning to change in Mercury’s life. Queen had become a major phenomenon and were touring the world – and he was struggling with questions about his identity and sexuality. And then came the recognition that he was gay. Freddie Mercury and Brian May rehearsing for their first major tour on 8th July 1973 (Image credit: Michael Putland) Yes. And I suppose that’s what I found more difficult than anything living in the house – what could have been and what was are so different. How do you carry that piece of luggage through life? You don’t. You put it in the cupboard, store it away and leave it well alone, because here was a man that could have loved you in a conventional way. Do you really want to rummage through that? No. It is what it is. It was what it was.’ From the touching account of Freddie Mercuryʼs last years that Jim Hutton gave in his book Freddie And Me, Mercuryʼs retreat behind the walls of Garden Lodge with a small group of friends and his “old faithful” Mary Austin was at the very least a contented time. Mercury quietly resigned himself to his fate, and lived his last years with dignity.
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