Freddie Mercury's Mary Austin Opens Up About Their Extraordinary Bond

Mary Austin has given a rare BBC interview about her decades-long relationship with Freddie Mercury, revealing why she accepted his inheritance, guarded his final wishes and still regards the Queen singer as the love of her life.

by Paul Cashmere

Mary Austin has broken decades of public silence about Freddie Mercury, speaking candidly in a rare BBC television interview about the relationship that began as a romance, survived the end of their engagement and continued until Mercury’s death in 1991. Austin described Mercury as her “very dear friend”, but her recollections make clear that their connection was far more complex than that description suggests.

Austin met Mercury in 1970, around the time he was beginning to build the career that would make him Queen’s frontman. They became lovers, moved in together and became engaged, but by the middle of the decade Austin had accepted that Mercury was gay and that they would not marry.

The end of the engagement, however, did not end their relationship. Instead, Austin became one of Mercury’s closest confidantes and eventually worked for him. She remained part of his daily life, including during the final months of his illness.

“I can afford to share more of Freddie,” Austin told the BBC, explaining that the rediscovery of Mercury’s handwritten lyrics had given her a way into memories she had previously found too painful to revisit.

The lyrics, she said, carried their own history and story. “You could journey with him,” she said, describing the experience of seeing Mercury’s thoughts preserved in his handwriting.

Austin recalled Mercury as a man who initially appeared intensely confident, but whom she later understood differently.

“He was full of bravado,” she said of their first meeting, suggesting that some of his outward confidence was also a form of protection.

Their relationship changed as Queen became successful. Mercury needed a piano, a home and practical support, and Austin increasingly became the person who helped make those things happen. She later described herself as his “girl Friday” and “Miss Reliable”.

The transition from lovers to friends was painful, but Austin said the clarity that came when Mercury acknowledged his sexuality ultimately made their relationship stronger.

“It was a huge relief,” she said. “We became better friends and it became a better relationship.”

That friendship remained significant throughout Mercury’s rise to international fame. Austin was present for some of the defining moments of Queen’s career, including Live Aid in 1985. Mercury initially hesitated about performing, concerned about whether he had the energy for the event.

Austin said she pushed the issue, although she stressed that nobody could force Mercury to do something he did not want to do. Looking back, she believes his hesitation was probably connected to the decline in his health that followed.

By the final stage of Mercury’s life, Austin was seeing him regularly. She described arriving at his home each morning to sit beside him while he was increasingly dependent on morphine.

“It was very difficult to see someone you love suffer,” she said.

During earlier periods of his illness, Mercury would still play studio recordings for Austin. They would listen together and discuss the music, preserving a connection to the creative process that had defined so much of their lives.

Austin also recalled the fear surrounding Mercury’s illness and the lack of public understanding about AIDS at the time. Mercury was godfather to Austin’s son Richard, but was so concerned about the virus that he believed he should not touch or go near the child.

Austin herself remained beside him.

“I was there next to his bed,” she said. “I was holding his hand, I was doing whatever I needed to do.”

Mercury died on 24 November 1991, aged 45, one day after publicly confirming that he had AIDS.

Mercury left Austin his Garden Lodge home and 50 percent of his fortune and future royalties. Austin said she initially resisted accepting the house, telling Mercury she had worked to make it a home for him.

His response was decisive. “If everything had gone to plan you would have been my wife, and this would have been rightly yours,” he told her.

Austin ultimately regarded accepting the inheritance as a duty rather than a reward.

The value of Mercury’s estate increased substantially after his death, and Austin has faced criticism from some fans over her control of his possessions. She has also kept private the location of Mercury’s ashes, saying she was carrying out his explicit wishes.

She later opened silver trunks containing Mercury’s handwritten lyrics, including material associated with songs such as “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Are The Champions” and “Don’t Stop Me Now”. The experience was initially too painful for her to confront.

The collection was eventually prepared for sale, with the resulting auction raising around £40 million. Austin said she wanted Mercury’s possessions to find their way to people who valued them, while acknowledging that some fans disagreed with her decisions.

One of the most revealing moments of the BBC interview concerned “Love Of My Life”, long associated with Austin.

Austin said she did not believe the song was written about her. Instead, she identified “Lily Of The Valley” as the Queen song Mercury wrote about their relationship.

Asked whether Mercury had ever told her he loved her, Austin answered simply: “No.”

She said Mercury expressed affection in other ways, including by buying things for people.

Yet when asked whether Mercury had been the love of her life, Austin gave a direct answer.

“I think I can say, in retrospect, so far, yes, he is the love of my life.”

For Austin, Mercury’s legacy is ultimately not defined by fame, controversy or wealth. Asked what she wanted people to remember, she returned to the person she knew rather than the global rock star.

“What a wonderful creative human being he was,” she said.

And when Mercury sings “These Are The Days Of Our Lives” and closes with “I still love you”, Austin believes he was speaking to everyone. But for someone who shared his life for more than two decades, the farewell carries a personal weight that has endured for 35 years.