Home First Steps – Childhood in Zanzibar Growing up in India Culture Shock Her Majesty – The Queen ‘No Bed Of Roses’ ‘Love Of My Life’ ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

The Great Pretender Live Aid An Evening At The Opera Mercury – the musician The all-round artist Mercury – the prophet Last Days The Legend The Queen File

LOVE OF MY LIFE

Freddie Mercury met the love of his life in 1970, Mary Austin. They lived together for seven years and remained best friends until his death; in Mercury’s later life she became his personal assistant and after his death the inheritor of the bulk of his estate.

Mary was 19 years old and working in public relations for the trendy London boutique Biba when she first met Freddie; until then her life had been deprived. Her parents were poor; both parents were deaf and communicated through sign language and lip-reading. Mary left comprehensive school at 15 without taking her O-levels. “He was like no one I had ever met before … Freddie had widened the tapestry of my life so much by introducing me to the world of ballet, opera and art; I learned so much from him and he’s given me personally so much.”

Freddie Mercury: “Our love affair ended in tears, but a deep bond grew out of it, and that’s something nobody can take away from us. It’s unreachable. All my lovers ask why they can’t replace her, but it’s simply impossible.”

Mary Austin – the love of his life:

“Love of my life – you’ve hurt me,
You’ve broken my heart and now you leave me,
Love of my life can’t you see,
Bring it back, bring it back,
Don’t take it away from me, because you don’t know –
What it means to me,

Love of my life don’t leave me,
You’ve taken my love, you now desert me,
Love of my life can’t you see,
Bring it back, bring it back,
Don’t take it away from me, because you don’t know –
What it means to me,

You will remember
When this is blown over
And everything’s all by the way –
When I grow older
I will be there at your side to remind you
How I still love you – I still love you.

Back – hurry back
Please bring it back home to me,
Because you don’t know what it means to me –
Love of my life
Love of my life…”

Freddie and Mary:

After 14 years still best friends:

Mary in 2000: