Mary Austin was always referred to by Freddie as “the love of my life. “Yet he spent his final years happily with Jim Hutton. So, why did he leave the bulk of his fortune and the Kensington mansion to Mary? Hutton even once claimed Freddie had verbally promised him the house. There was much reported ill-will when Mary asked Jim to move out months after Freddie died. What really happened? Peter Freestone was Freddie’s PA and also living at the house at the time. He speaks out over claims they were “evicted onto the street.”
Freddie died on November 24, 1991. The following March Mary asked Jim to leave One Garden Lodge. There appeared to be no love lost between them, but did Freddie really intend Jim to have the house?
Peter told Express Online the truth is very simple.
He said; “No. I doubt that would ever have happened. It is something Freddie might have said in a moment but he was always very particular to write down anything he really wanted to happen, especially in his will. Anything verbal doesn’t mean anything.”
Freddie’s will clearly made provision for Jim, who received £500,000, the same as Peter and the other live-in member of their group, Joe Fanelli.
Although Peter believes Freddie always felt enormous “guilt” over the way his relationship ended with Mary, he says this was not why he left her so much more in his will.
“Freddie taught me love is a quality, not a quantity. You don’t use all your love once and then it’s gone. Freddie did love Mary but then he also loved Jim. He loved his friends.
“Mary was so important to him because she was there when he made the transition to being gay and she stood by him.
“Freddie felt huge guilt more than anything for what he put her through in 1975 when he broke their engagement and told her the truth about himself.
“But I do think it is significant that, in the end, he gave Mary the house and half of all his future earnings from Queen. That is what he felt for her.”
Freddie loved to make grand declarations, whether in interviews or with friends. But he was also meticulous with details. For example, he kept a birthday book listing every single friend so he never missed a single birthday and a gift was always sent.
He was in full possession of his faculties until the very last few days. Had he wanted to make any changes to his will, he certainly would have.
Mary has spoken about the “jealousy” and animosity she received from certain people after Freddie’s death and it can be assumed Jim was one of them. Asking him to move out can not have been pleasant but it was what Freddie wanted. Furthermore, Mary was pregnant with her second son and needed to make some firm decisions for her future.
Peter also spoke very clearly about the difficult transition period.
Peter said: “Before Freddie died he expressed verbally his wish that Jim, Joe and I could stay in Garden Lodge until we were ready to face the ‘outside world’. He knew none of us would want to stay forever, and was even then thinking about others before him.
“It was a very kind thought, but not very practical. As you all know in his will he left Garden Lodge and all its contents to Mary Austin. This did not include three adult males. So that Freddie’s written will could go through probate it was necessary that we were no longer in the house and we were all given three months to make our arrangements.
“We were not evicted onto the streets, as Freddie had made sure we all had somewhere to go.”
“Never Boring” The Freddie Mercury Solo Box Set is out now and collects all of Freddie’s solo works, as well as rare and unseen photos, sketches, notes and thoughts.
