This new book makes a startling revelation about Freddie Mercury

Acclaimed author LesleyAnn Jonesrsquo latest and most explosive offering Love Freddie Freddie Mercuryrsquos Secret Life and Love sets so many records straight that it is mdash by her own admission mdash ldquothe rock lsquonrsquo roll equivalent of the opening of Tutankhamenrsquos tombrdquoAccording to Jonesrsquo sensitively written and extensively researched book that released on his birthday on September 5 British rock icon Freddie Mercury of Queen fame fathered a secret child in 1977 with the wife of a dear friend shared a close bond with the daughter until his death and left behind 17 journals that challenge most public narratives about him till dateA daughter and a secretMonths before his passing in 1991 Freddie is said to have given 17 personal journals to his then 14yearold daughter instructing her to read some of them only after she turned 25 Referred to as ldquoBrdquo in Love Freddie Mercuryrsquos daughter reached out to Jones in 2021 after reading her then latest release Love of My Life The Life and Loves of Freddie MercuryPICMick Rock with thanks to Pati RockldquoShe wrote me a 41page email telling me that this book was the closest anyone has gotten to describing Freddiersquos personal life Initially I didnrsquot believe her However some of the things she wrote about were a bit too specific I was also intrigued that she did not want the publicity or even a book being written There was nothing in it for her After months of correspondence and verifying facts I realised that she was genuine Then I really persuaded her about writing a new book considering all these new factsrdquo Jones says in an exclusive conversation with middayA medical professional based in Switzerland Jones writes B has lived a very privileged life thanks to her stepfather and her mother and Freddie who also provided for her Shuttling between homes in London Switzerland and France in chauffeurdriven cars and private jets the affluence and commitment of all parties involved helped to create various opportunities for her to spend time with her father privatelyTwo years after B initiated contact with Jones the author flew to Montreux to meet her and stayed on for a few days ldquoI saw a small sample of a very massive collection of items these journals Polaroid pictures cards he has given her videos where one can see her call him lsquoDaddyrsquo and him responding Nothing prepared me for when I first met her her eyes nose jawline skin tone are unmistakably FreddierdquoJones adds ldquoFreddie started keeping a private journal in 1976 with the first entry made soon after he learnt that he was going to be a father In this duration he wrote about his everyday life his childhood his faith his various relationships and made several entries that pertain specifically to his interactions with his daughterrdquoPICGETTY IMAGESHis last entry was made a few months before he died in 1991 of AIDSrelated complications ldquoHis writings to her about his various life experiences really make you reset your priorities and make you want to hold your own children closer I was so affected by the process of writing this book I knew I had to take the risk because Freddiersquos life was not for nothingrdquo Jones says her voice cracking with emotionFreddie Bulsara from IndiaIn Love Freddie B talks extensively about Freddiersquos Parsi roots He was born on Fravardin or what is considered Parsi New Year as per the Shenshahi calendar in September 1946 Theirs was a typical Parsi family which performed the Loban ritual every Sunday and observed celebrations like the 18day Muktad festival Freddie is said to have spoken Gujarati fluently with his parentsJones adds ldquoPeople incorrectly assumed Freddie had a Parsi funeral in London at his parentsrsquo behest But his diaries detail on multiple occasions how much his faith meant to him He meditated often and is said to have given B the traditional sadhra cotton vest and kusti cord that Parsis customarily wear and raised her with Zoroastrian beliefsrdquo His understanding of Ahura Mazda being Ahura as masculine and Mazda as a feminine noun in Persian comforted Freddie about praying to a deity who is worshipped as the embodiment of both gendersFreddie who was born in Zanzibar was sent to India at the age of eight to study at St Peterrsquos School Panchgani a boarding school for boys while his parents and sister stayed back In the journals that he has shared with B Jones says he has chronicled the horror and the good times of his eightyear stayThe book details how Freddiersquos effeminate features caught the attention of a teacher who raped him multiple times compounding the pain of being away from home and irreversibly breaking his ability to connect emotionally with anybody ldquoHis school years were very damaging He was bullied for being shy raped by someone he trusted and struggled to process life away from home He suffered from tremendous anxietyrdquoBut Freddie also loved the extravagance of Indian royalty Indiarsquos pluralism and his aunt Sheroo Khory from Bombay who introduced him to the piano at age 12 ldquoIndia gave Freddie the joy of playing and appreciating music that helped him heal He had a commissioned mural of Panchgani at his London home Garden Lodge He also had a cake shaped like the Taj Mahal Just because he didnrsquot speak about his Indianness to the press didnrsquot mean that he was embarrassed of itrdquo Jones reasonsWhy the anonymityMindful that coming into the public eye would affect her children her patients effectively ruin her career and damage any shred of privacy her immediate and extended family have Brsquos decision to remain anonymous and not share any images could also be legal ldquoIt is possible that she doesnrsquot own the notebooks despite being gifted them by her own father There is a clause in Freddiersquos will that mentions that he bequeaths to Mary Austin all his possessions including those held by banks and third partiesrdquo she saysMary Austin was Freddiersquos longtime partner exfiancee and widely considered the love of his life They remained close friends living together until his demise She has inherited a significant portion of his wealthIn 2024 Queen sold their back catalogue and all their collective creative material to Sony Music for pound1 billion ldquoIt is possible that Sony Music owns the content of the notebooks B has a lot of demos and recordings of songs he has sung but didnrsquot take to the studio to work on It is also possible under the terms of their deal that Sony Music owns those as wellrdquo Jones saysBrsquos anonymity would effectively make Jones the face of this bombshell revelation thus putting her at the receiving end of much trolling criticism and damage to her reputation Despite knowing all that why did she want to write the bookldquoLike B I wanted to set the record straight I knew the backlash I was going to face but that cannot be more than what she has had to endure I have tremendous admiration and respect for Brdquo Jones addsReaction to the bookJones explains that most of those who knew of Brsquos connection with Freddie are no longer around mdash her mother passed away early as did Freddiersquos former lover and close friend Joe Fanelli exgirlfriend Barbara Valentin opera legend Montserrat Caballe Brsquos nanny Maria and her stepfather Mary Austin in an interview in August 2025 questioned the authenticity of the paternity claims maintaining that neither had Freddie told her about a daughter nor had she seen him ever writing a journal ldquoB was devastated by Maryrsquos comments because she herself has been so complimentary towards Mary in the book She has the highest regard for the dignity with which Mary has conducted her life all these years We canrsquot understand why she would discredit something she knows to be truerdquo Jones saysIf she is speaking the truth and Freddie kept her in the dark then the journal entries donrsquot add up One wonders if Maryrsquos response has something to do with not giving B legitimacy to avoid throwing a spanner in the works as far as Freddiersquos will goes Whatever the reason may be this new book and the polarising reactions to it only serve to highlight something that Freddiersquoslife exemplified The world wasnrsquot ready for who Freddie MercuryBulsara was In some way it still isnrsquot