Freddie Mercury’s handwritten lyrics, crown and cloak to go on display before auction

Queen frontman's words for We Are the Champions and Killer Queen, plus famed coronation-style outfit, form part of Sotheby’s touring exhibition

Freddie Mercury often wore a crown and cloak during performances, including here at Wembley Stadium, London, in 1986. Photo: Sotheby's

A guitar, stage costumes and handwritten lyrics belonging to Freddie Mercury are set to go on a touring exhibition before being auctioned by Sotheby’s London later in the year.

The auction house will stage a month-long immersive showcase of the singer’s items, including the words to We Are the Champions and Killer Queen. They are two of the biggest hits for British rockers Queen, who Mercury was the frontman for.

The pieces are from Garden Lodge, the artist’s private home in Kensington, London, where they were under the care of friend Mary Austin for more than three decades.

“For many years now, I have had the joy and privilege of living surrounded by all the wonderful things that Freddie sought out and so loved,” Austin says.

“But the years have passed, and the time has come for me to take the difficult decision to close this very special chapter in my life.”

Austin and Mercury were romantically involved and remained close friends after breaking off their engagement, with Mercury even becoming godfather to Austin’s son Richard. She’s also believed to be the inspiration behind Queen’s hit song, Love of My Life.

“It was important to me to do this in a way that I felt Freddie would have loved, and there was nothing he loved more than an auction,” Austin said.

“Freddie was an incredible and intelligent collector who showed us that there is beauty and fun and conversation to be found in everything. I hope this will be an opportunity to share all the many facets of Freddie, both public and private, and for the world to understand more about, and celebrate, his unique and beautiful spirit.”

Mercury, who died in November 1991, was one of the world’s most celebrated artists.

Aside from his signature rock vocals and the songs that have influenced mainstream culture, he was also known for his flamboyant alter ego and stage presence, which was an extension of his personal tastes in art, fashion and style.

Sotheby’s will transform a 1,486-square-metre gallery in London to celebrate Mercury’s diverse and eclectic taste in specially designed spaces, each one devoted to a different aspect of his life.

“This exhibition and auction are massively significant,” David Macdonald, head of single-owner sales at Sotheby’s London tells The National.

“What’s significant is the fact that this stuff's been put away for 30 years. It's a facet of Freddie Mercury that no one really knows about. We think of this legend, this incredible personality, this true star in that sort of rock 'n' roll sense, but actually learning about him as a serious collector is really important. I think telling that story is quite important.”

The exhibition will open on August 4 and include more than 1,500 personal items from Mercury’s home. Highlights from the collection include Mercury’s crown and cloak, in fake fur, red velvet and rhinestones, made by his friend and costume designer Diana Moseley. The crown is believed to be loosely modelled on the coronation crown of the UK, which will be worn by King Charles III at his coronation in May, and was worn by Mercury during his last tour with Queen in 1986.

Handwritten manuscripts which are the working lyrics to We Are the Champions, one of Queen's most well-known hits released in 1977, are up for auction along with the handwritten working lyrics to Killer Queen, the single from Sheer Heart Attack, the band’s third studio album released in 1974 that propelled them to international fame.

Mercury’s ceremonial military-style jacket that he wore to his 39th birthday party, which was filmed for the music video of his solo single Living On My Own will also be auctioned along with Mercury’s 1975 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar, in its original case, believed to have been used to write and record the hit single Crazy Little Thing Called Love released in 1979.

The exhibition will also include pieces from his personal art collection such as Pablo Picasso’s portrait of his wife, Jaqueline au Chapeau Noir, and Henri Matisse’s Masque Blanc Sur Fond Noir along with several notebooks of Mercury’s own personal drawings.

“There's been the film, there’s been a book, we've got his music," adds Macdonald.

"This is a kind of 3D Freddie, this is learning about those things that he chose to have around him and those objects that he loved and those objects that inspired him.”

Highlights from the collection will also tour New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong in June, prior to the opening of the exhibition. Closing on September 5, on what would have been Mercury’s 77th birthday, the exhibition will be followed by six dedicated auctions — three live evenings and three online auctions.

Austin will donate some of the proceeds to the Mercury Phoenix Trust and the Elton John Aids Foundation.