Freddie Mercury's sister, Kashmira Bulsara, reportedly spent £3 million to secure some of the late Queen singer's belongings that were auctioned by his former partner Mary Austin in 2023. The auction, held by Sotheby's under the title 'Freddie Mercury: A World of His Own', featured 1,406 lots and raised a total of £40 million.
Bulsara, 73, was said to be 'angry and upset' to see her brother's possessions available for public sale. According to a source quoted by The Sun, she attended a private viewing anonymously with her son Jamal Zook and her personal assistant. During the auction, her PA was present at Sotheby's and remained on the phone with Bulsara, who watched online and instructed on bidding amounts.
The source added that Bulsara had set aside a 'huge budget' and was 'very happy' with the final expenditure, despite paying well above estimated prices for each item. Among her purchases were a Wurlitzer Model 850 jukebox for £406,400, a waistcoat featuring portraits of Mercury's six cats for £139,700, and a military-style jacket made for his 39th birthday, which was her most expensive acquisition at £457,200. She also bought eight pages of draft lyrics for Queen's 1974 hit 'Killer Queen' for £279,400.
Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara, had a long-term relationship with Mary Austin in the early 1970s. They lived together for several years but split after he came out as gay, though they remained close friends until his death from AIDS-related complications in 1991 at age 45. In his will, Mercury left his London home to Austin, telling her, 'You would have been my wife, and it would have been yours anyway.'
Austin, who sold the collection to 'put my affairs in order', donated some proceeds to the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John Aids Foundation. The auction attracted over 140,000 visitors to its pre-sales exhibition and received 41,800 bids from buyers in more than 50 countries.
