Although the woman had known since she was very young who her birth father was, some relatives of the well-known artist had no idea he had a daughter.
Rock writer Lesley-Ann Jones is said to have penned a revealing book titled “Love, Freddie” which shares the story of a woman claiming to be the late Freddie Mercury’s daughter.
In “Love, Freddie,” a child born from a brief affair in 1976 is revealed to be the British singer’s daughter referred to as “B.” Only his inner circle, including his parents, sister, bandmates, and his romantic partner, Mary Austin, knew of her existence and kept the secret.
Now 48, a doctor and mother living in Europe, she was raised by a caring family but always knew Mercury — who often visited — was her father. Before his death from AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia in 1991, he entrusted her with 17 volumes of private journals she quietly safeguarded for decades.
Now central to “Love, Freddie,” Mercury’s journals — handed to Jones by his alleged daughter — form the foundation of the book, which is set for release in September 2025. Mercury’s affair with his friend’s wife, which led to B’s birth, stayed hidden. In a letter, B shares:
“Freddie Mercury was and is my father… He adored me… He cherished me like a treasured possession.”
The three adults raised her together, with the Queen frontman often staying in their homes. Though she always knew the truth, few outside the family ever did.
This private family bond, carefully guarded for years, was never overshadowed by how it began. In her words, B shared that their connection was strong from the very beginning and remained so until Mercury’s final days:
“The circumstances of my birth may seem, by most people’s standards, unusual and even outrageous… It never detracted from his commitment to love and look after me.”
Despite the unconventional start to her life, she stood firm in her truth, supported by years of quiet devotion. Jones, known for her work on music legends like David Bowie and Paul McCartney, was first contacted by B in late 2021.
At first, she was unsure of the woman’s story. “My instinct was to doubt everything,” Jones explained in an interview. But over time, her doubts faded. She added:
“No one could have faked all this… She has never asked for money. She does not want recognition.”
The author emphasized that B never appeared driven by fame or reward, and explained that Mercury, along with the woman’s stepfather, had secured her financial future through a private legal agreement not reflected in the vocalist’s will.
Certain of her honesty, Jones said, “Freddie Mercury was not who you think he was… He described fatherhood as the fulfilment of his most cherished ambition and as the greatest blessing of his life.”
Mercury’s deep trust in his daughter became even clearer through the personal legacy he left behind with her when she was just 15. Only four people knew he had passed them to “B”: her mother, stepfather, nanny, and Austin.
According to Jones, Mercury instructed his daughter not to open the more graphic entries until her 25th birthday. “She has stated that if anyone else tries to claim ownership of the diaries, she will burn them,” Jones revealed.
It was the detail and truth in those diaries that confirmed “B”‘s identity in the author’s eyes. They met in 2022 in Montreux, Switzerland, a city that held special meaning — Mercury had lived and recorded there, and a statue honoring him overlooks the lake.
Initially, “B” did not introduce herself as Mercury’s daughter. After reading “Love of My Life,” Jones’s 2021 biography of Mercury, she had emailed simply to thank her and hint that more needed to be told.
“B” hoped the new information could be added to the earlier book, not realizing a fresh publication would be necessary. Privacy was her priority. Jones spent weeks piecing things together before “B” finally confirmed who she was. At their meeting, she brought along the diaries, photos, notes, and other documents to support her story.
To this day, her wish to remain unknown remains firm. Jones has shared no physical details about her. “She wants her family’s life to remain just as it is,” Jones said. To avoid attention, “B” plans to spend the summer in a remote location, far from the book’s release spotlight.
As she prepares to withdraw from public view, her reasons for stepping forward after so many years are laid out in her own words. In another letter featured in the book, “B” explains why she decided to share Mercury’s journals three decades after his passing.
“After more than three decades of lies, speculation and distortion, it is time to let Freddie speak,” she wrote. According to her, the people who knew about her kept quiet out of loyalty to Mercury.
