In a new interview with Classic Rock, Brian May revealed Freddie Mercury got his permission to date Mary Austin.
Queen’s self-titled debut album has been reissued as a box set called ‘Queen I.’ It includes demos, outtakes, and a book with unseen photos, handwritten lyrics, Roger Taylor’s diary entries, and pictures by Douglas Puddifoot.
During the Classic Rock chat, the guitarist talked about these photos, including one taken in Mercury’s flat in London on March 17, 1973. May said, “That’s taken in Freddie’s flat. He lived there with Mary [Austin, his girlfriend]. It was our first proper photo shoot.”
He continued, “We got everything we could together that we thought would exude this kind of period glamour. It’s mainly from Biba, which was this beautiful store in Kensington High Street, very trendy, very much harking back to the glory days of the 1930s.”
“Mary was the manageress in Biba, so we got to borrow all this fantastic stuff, because there’s no way we could have afforded it. I actually asked Mary out at a certain point,” the musician revealed.
Then, Brian recalled Freddie’s response to him, “And then Freddie went, ‘Oh, is she with you? I’d like to ask her out.’ I said, ‘I think you should because we’re only friends really.’ And the rest is history.”
In the early 1970s, Mercury dated Austin, whom he met through May. They lived together until the mid-1970s when Mercury revealed his sexuality. He then bought Austin her own place near his new home.
“All my lovers asked me why they couldn’t replace Mary, but it’s simply impossible. The only friend I’ve got is Mary, and I don’t want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that’s enough for me,” the late singer said of Austin in a 1985 interview.
After his death, Mercury left most of his fortune, his mansion in Kensington, and all his belongings to Austin. She kept everything for over 30 years before selling it in recent years.
