The three surviving members of Queen have received a royal sum of money following the phenomenal success of Bohemian Rhapsody, and are now said to be richer than her maj.
Brian May, 71, Roger Taylor, 69, and John Deacon, 67, now have a combined fortune of £445 million, having each added an estimated £25 million to their existing wealth this year alone.
Thanks to the incredible commercial success of the music biopic, Queen’s combined wealth is now greater than that of Queen Elizabeth II, who is believed to be worth ‘just’ £370 million.
The Times has reported these estimates ahead of The Sunday Times Rich List, due to be published next weekend.
As reported, 93-year-old Queen Elizabeth took top place of this exclusive list from 1989 to 1994.
However, a tightening up of criteria means both the Crown Estate and the royal art collection are now excluded from her assets, due to her not having control over them.
Lead guitarist May and drummer Taylor both served as consultants for Bohemian Rhapsody, and are now reported to be worth £160 million and £155 million respectively.
The more reclusive Deacon was not involved in making the movie. However, as a quarter shareholder for Queen Productions Limited, the bass guitarist has still seen his wealth rise to £130 million, putting him back on the rich list for the very first time since 2006.
A source has since told the Mail Online how the bandmates could see royalties from Bohemian Rhapsody soar to as much as £70 million.
This source revealed:
They will be massively in profit. Because Queen Films made the film, they are quite high up the waterfall of money that cascades down from the film.
This film was created and managed by Queen, which means they can protect their share. I would expect the studio to get around 50 per cent and the rest to go to the surviving Queen members and the Freddie Mercury estate.
Bohemian Rhapsody was enormously successful among cinema-goers, pulling in over $900 million at the global box office.
When awards season came along, the biopic was showered with accolades, earning no fewer than four Oscars.
Rami Malek, who played iconic frontman Freddie Mercury, won Best Actor awards at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and the BAFTAs.
However, there have been mixed responses from film critics, some of whom have taken issue with the way Mercury’s sexuality was portrayed, as well as the significant historical inaccuracies within the plot.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.