Everyone,” according to Freddie at the time, “is very highly strung.” The singer even more so. “Iʼm very emotional,” he said. “Whereas before, I was given time to make my decisions, now nearly all of us are so highly strung we just snap. We always argue, but I think itʼs a healthy sign, because we get to the root of the matter and squeeze the best out. But lately so much is happening, itʼs escalating so fast that everybody wants to know almost instantly, and I certainly get very temperamental.” It has changed me, but itʼs sort of gone in two stages. I would be a fool to actually decline the fact that it didnʼt change me in terms of being snobbish and arrogant. That was a stage – the first stage, of course. I was the bees knees and I just thought I was it. But then Iʼd actually come to realise that success could be handled in a different way, and when it comes down to it I actually pay more attention to making people realise that Iʼm normal. Itʼs such a shit thing that people think: Oh, Freddie Mercury. He wonʼt talk to me.ʼ Yes. And I suppose that’s what I found more difficult than anything living in the house – what could have been and what was are so different. How do you carry that piece of luggage through life? You don’t. You put it in the cupboard, store it away and leave it well alone, because here was a man that could have loved you in a conventional way. Do you really want to rummage through that? No. It is what it is. It was what it was.’

I had sort of made up my mind that after the tour we were going to… not let it out or anything, we were just going to finish the tour and then think about it. But having said that, I was the one that actually changed. Iʼm a man of moods. I suddenly thought that everything was going so well and I sort of… from somewhere or other, I got a sort of new-found force. Suddenly there was more left in Queen. I mean, we really want to stay together.Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin photographed in 1977. / Monitor Picture Library/Photoshot/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Before the Live Aid event, Freddie was clearer on his motivation for the show: “Iʼm not doing it out of guilt. Even if I didnʼt do it, the poverty would still be there. Itʼs something that will always be there, to be honest, when you think about it. All we can do to help is wonderful things. Iʼm doing it out of pride, pride that Iʼve been asked as well as that I can actually do something like that. And so basically Iʼm doing it out of feeling that one way all the hard work that Iʼve actually done over the years has paid off, because theyʼre actually asking me to do something to be proud of. The film covers a time period of more than a decade from the 1970’s to the 1980’s so there are numerous sunglasses worn throughout the movie as well as some pretty retro prescription eyewear frames too. But most prominently during the film we see Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury wearing some highly reflective mirrored Aviator style sunglasses.

Of course weʼre all in it for the money, and Iʼm not afraid to say that. Also the glory, but weʼve got all that. Most people say theyʼre not in it for the money. I love the money. Itʼs what keeps me going, but after twelve years of a certain respect musically, I donʼt want to just give it up.” Queen rotated around the stadiums of the world after Live Aid. After their jaded years, they enjoyed an Indian summer of a career. Their greatest hits albums sold millions, too.A few weeks later I met Austin again, in a conference room at Sotheby’s Bond Street auction room. She is a slightly built woman with a serene and thoughtful manner, who speaks in a quiet, hesitant voice. In addition, a change in management to the heavyweight John Reid, who was them busy making his name assisting Elton John, at last gave them representation that: a) wouldnʼt be financially detrimental, and b) intuitively understood the inherent glories of the band. When exploring the legendary style of Freddie Mercury, it is impossible to overlook his remarkable style evolution throughout his career. From his early days to his reign as one of the most iconic musicians in history, Freddie Mercury’s fashion choices underwent a mesmerizing transformation that mirrored his artistic growth and self-expression. With a penchant for unique and extravagant fashion statements, Freddie Mercury became a trailblazer in the world of music and style, captivating audiences with his audacious looks and fearless attitude. The property was built in 1908 for the painter Cecil Rea and his wife, the sculptor Constance Halford. Over the years, it was owned by Peter Wilson, the chairman of Sotheby’s, and the British intelligence operative Tomás Harris. When Mercury bought the house, it was owned by a member of the Hoare banking family. I’m 72, and next birthday I’m not going to be 50. I’m heading towards, hopefully, being an octogenarian and I just felt that this had to be done in my lifetime.