A dispute over claims that Freddie Mercury fathered a secret daughter has erupted again, as the Queen frontman’s former partner Mary Austin publicly questioned the story days before what would have been his 80th birthday.
Mercury was born on September 5, 1946, and died aged 45 in November 1991. The long-running argument centres on the biography Love, Freddie, which says he had a daughter, known only as “B”, following an affair with the wife of a close friend in 1976.
According to author Lesley-Ann Jones, the woman enjoyed a close relationship with Mercury until his death and was entrusted with 17 personal journals documenting his life. The claim has not been independently established publicly.
In a handwritten letter reproduced in accounts of the book, “B” said Mercury was her father and described their relationship as “very close and loving”. She has chosen not to reveal her identity and is said to work as a medical professional in Europe.
But Austin, who remained one of the singer’s closest confidantes after their romantic relationship ended, has rejected the suggestion that Mercury could have concealed such a significant secret from her and others in his inner circle.
“Freddie had a glorious openness, and I cannot imagine he would have wanted to, or been able to, keep such a joyful event a secret,” she told The Sunday Times. She added that she had never known of either a child or the existence of the diaries.
Austin said that, if Mercury had fathered a daughter without her knowledge, it would be “astonishing”. The comments prompted a response from the woman identified as “B”, who said she was devastated by Austin’s remarks.
The claims have also divided people who knew Mercury. Queen guitarist Brian May has said he wished to remain neutral, while his wife, Anita Dobson, dismissed the story as “fake news”, according to reports.
Jones has defended the biography and said a DNA test had been carried out to support the account, although the alleged evidence has not been made public. She has argued that Mercury’s sister and surviving Queen members would have directly denied the story if it were untrue.
Freddie Mercury’s private life remains contested
The controversy comes as interest in Mercury’s personal archive intensifies. Austin is publishing Freddie Mercury: A Life in Lyrics, featuring handwritten drafts, photographs and reflections on her relationship with the singer.
She has also helped develop a forthcoming V&A exhibition of Mercury’s clothing and stage costumes, due to open in October. The renewed attention has placed competing accounts of his private life back at the centre of debate just days before the anniversary of his birth.
