Kashmira Bulsara, sister of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, reportedly spent around £3 million (€3.5 million) at a high-profile Sotheby’s auction in 2023 to buy back her late brother’s personal items.
The auction, organized by Mercury’s close friend and former fiancée Mary Austin, featured over 1,400 items from the singer’s estate and became the largest-ever sale of his belongings. Austin, who inherited the majority of Mercury’s estate following his death in 1991, described the sale as a deeply personal and emotional decision.
Proceeds from the auction were partially donated to the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity founded by the remaining members of Queen in Mercury’s memory.
According to reports, Bulsara was distressed by the idea of strangers owning deeply personal possessions that once belonged to her brother. She is said to have attended the auction preview and later sent her personal assistant to bid on key items.
Among the items she reportedly purchased were Mercury’s Wurlitzer Model 850 jukebox, a custom-made waistcoat featuring portraits of his beloved cats, a military-style jacket worn for his 39th birthday, and a handwritten draft of the lyrics to Queen’s hit song “Killer Queen.”
The entire auction raised £40 million (€46.7 million), with Bulsara’s acquisitions believed to represent a significant portion of that total.
