Freddie Mercury’s $58 million mansion failed to sell after two years

Freddie Mercury’s ex has failed to sell his mansion after two years – in the latest twist to his feud with his sister.

The Queen singer left the eight-bedroom Garden Lodge to his ex-girlfriend Mary Austin after she died aged 45 in 1991.

He has put the house in Kensington, West London, up for sale for £30 million ($A58.4 million) in February 2024.

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Freddie left the eight-bedroom Garden Lodge to his ex-girlfriend Mary Austin after she died aged 45 in 1991. Photo: Barney Hindle/The Post/Getty Images

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But the fact that no buyer has yet been found may please Freddie’s sister Kashmira Bulsara.

“He was sad when he thought that some of Freddie’s belongings were being sold to the public, especially the Garden Lodge,” said a Solezwe source.

Last year, Kashmira spent £3 million ($A6.2 million) buying Freddie’s belongings which were put up for auction by Mary, 74, because she believes they should stay in the family.

Kashmira was said to be upset when she saw the music legend’s belongings being flogged by Mary and was willing to pay the odds to keep them in the family.

Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin. Photo: The Post/Getty Images

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Freddie, born Farrokh Bulsara, threw famous parties at the Garden Lodge – including his famous Silly Hat Party for his 40th birthday in 1986.

The sprawling area is where Freddie died of AIDS-related pneumonia.

Potential buyers must provide proof of financing before they can see the property.

Freddie was engaged to Mary until 1976, when he came out as gay to her – but they remained close friends until his death, with Mary caring for him during his illness.

He wrote Queen’s 1975 song Love Of My Life as a tribute to her.

The sprawling area is where Freddie died of AIDS-related pneumonia. Photo: Barney Hindle/The Post

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A few months before his death, Freddie signed a will that gave Mary a share of his estimated $10 million ($A20 million) fortune and his 28-room Kensington mansion, filled with valuable art and Louis XV furniture.

Afraid to accept this burden, he first urged him to let it become a museum.

Meanwhile, his parents and sister both got a 25 percent share.

There was also financial stress, as it took him eight years to receive most of what he had left in his will.

“It was the loneliest and hardest time of my life after Freddie’s death,” she later recalled.

“I found myself thinking, ‘Oh Freddie, you’ve left me too far and you’ve got too much to deal with.’ I felt that I would not be able to live up to it.”

And his former colleagues didn’t jump to take him under their wing either – they were reportedly jealous of him inheriting such a legacy – although they have since reunited.

“I don’t think the remaining members of Queen have ever come to terms with it,” he said in a 2013 interview.

“I don’t understand. I never heard anything about them. After Freddie died, they just wandered off.”

However, Mary is still able to enjoy the benefits of her relationship with Freddie – reaping benefits from the success of the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody and the sale of Queen’s back catalog to Sony.

British rock group Queen (left-right) Brian May, Freddie Mercury, Roger Taylor and John Deacon. Photo: Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images

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Mary was also entrusted with his ashes – and was ordered never to reveal where they would finally be placed, which would cause further rifts with Freddie’s family.

They spent two years sitting in plastic in the bathroom, before he slipped out of his driver’s car to bury them.

Despite speculation from fans that she was buried in a cemetery in West London, or under a cherry tree in the garden of her house, Mary remained faithful to her wishes and did not reveal her final resting place.

In 2023, he sold 1,406 items he left to her for £40 million ($A80 million) at auction.

Portions of this story first appeared in The Sun and have been republished with permission.

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