A bombshell new biography is set to stun the world of show business by revealing that Queen frontman Freddie Mercury had a secret daughter, now 48-years-old.
The book, "Love, Freddie" by respected rock biographer Lesley-Ann Jones, tells the extraordinary story of a child conceived during a brief relationship in 1976, a year after "Bohemian Rhapsody" was a hit.
The revelation is based on 17 volumes of Mercury's detailed personal journals, which he gave to his daughter before his death from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991.
The existence of Mercury's daughter was known only to his closest circle, including his parents, sister, fellow Queen band members and Mary Austin, the love of his life.
According to the Daily Mail, the child was conceived during a fling with the wife of a close friend while he was away on an extended business trip.
Mercury, the mother and her husband (the child's stepfather)—made a decision to raise the child together, with the arrangement kept strictly private from the public eye.
The daughter, referred to only as "B" in the book, now lives in Europe where she works as a medical professional and is also a mother herself, making Mercury a posthumous grandfather.
The singer had a fling with his close friends wife
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"He was a hands-on, devoted dad," Jones told the Daily Mail. "He described fatherhood as the fulfilment of his most cherished ambition and as the greatest blessing of his life."
Before his death in 1991, Mercury entrusted his daughter with 17 volumes of his personal journals, which she kept secret for decades. These handwritten diaries, which Mercury began writing in 1976 when he first learned about the pregnancy, contain approximately 555,000 words chronicling his extraordinary life.
The journals document everything from his birth in Zanzibar in 1946 to his final days, with the last entry being made on Wednesday, July 31, 1991, as his health deteriorated. 'B' has now given these intimate records to Jones, forming the foundation of the new biography.
In a handwritten letter included in the book, 'B' writes: "Freddie Mercury was and is my father. We had a very close and loving relationship from the moment I was born and throughout the final 15 years of his life. He adored me and was devoted to me. The circumstances of my birth may seem, by most people's standards, unusual and even outrageous. That should come as no surprise. It never detracted from his commitment to love and look after me. He cherished me like a treasured possession."
The secret has been kept for 48 years with his daughter now coming forward
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According to Jones, Mercury had his own room at the family's home and visited them frequently. He maintained a close relationship with his daughter, speaking to her every day when he was away on tour or in the recording studio.
"She knew from toddlerhood which of the two men was her real father," Jones explained. "Outside the unusual family, privacy and discretion were maintained to a degree that not even some members of Freddie's personal household had any idea that he had a child."
Jones was initially skeptical when first approached by "B" three years ago. "My instinct was to doubt everything, but I am absolutely sure she is not a fantasist," she said. "No one could have faked all this."
The author noted that "B" has never sought financial gain or public recognition. "In my experience of fantasists, they seek instant gratification, publicity and reward. She has never asked for money," Jones explained.
"B" was not provided for through Mercury's will, but through a private legal arrangement, ensuring her name would not appear in public documents.
In another letter included in the book, "B" explains her decision to reveal herself now: "After more than three decades of lies, speculation and distortion, it is time to let Freddie speak. Those who have been aware of my existence kept his greatest secret out of loyalty to Freddie. That I choose to reveal myself in my own midlife is my decision and mine alone."
Mary Auston was Freddie's long-term partner
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She emphasises her desire for continued privacy, stating: "The life I live with my husband and our family in another country is intensely private. We want things to stay that way. We cherish our peaceful and anonymous life."
The book "Love, Freddie" is scheduled for publication in September 2025, with pre-orders already available. The revelation of Mercury's secret daughter is expected to shock millions of fans worldwide who have long known and accepted him as a gay man.
Despite having relationships with men, including his late boyfriend Jim Hutton, Mercury also had significant relationships with women. These included Mary Austin, with whom he lived and was briefly engaged, and Austrian actress Barbara Valentin in the early 1980s.
This third liaison with a woman—the mother of his child—remained Mercury's most closely guarded secret until now.
